DESCRIPTIOJf OF A NEW SPECIES OP THE GENUS PHAN^US, 



MACLEAY. 



BT B. G. NETINSON, M.A., F.E.S. 



Phan^us ebeninus, sp. nov. 



Omnino nigerrimus, subnitidus. Caput rugose-punctatum, clypco integro vel 

 subemarginato. Thorax cum marginibus leviter sed distincte reflexis, ad basin pro- 

 cessu instructus. Elytra late striata, striis opacis, interstitiis angustis, convexis, 

 subnitidis. Pygidium nigrum, crebre sed minutissime punctatum. Subtus niger, 

 metasterno leevi, antice in spina longa et acuta producto ; pedibus nigris, tibiia an- 

 ticis obtuse tridentatis ; pube nigro-picea. Long., 25 mm. 



Mas major. — Capitis cornu longo, recurvo, antice minute punctato. Thorax 

 Isevis impunctatus, angulis anticis productis, in medio cornubus duobus erectis, 

 apicibus acutis incur vat isque, intra ea planus hand impressus, sed extra valde ex- 

 cavatus. 



J/a* minor. — Capitis cornu breve. Thorax Isevis, tuberculis duobus obtusis 

 antice in medio positis. 



Femina. — Capitis vertex transversira carinatus. Thorax convexus subtilissime 

 punctatus angulis anticis non productis, marginibus latero-anticis hand sinuatis ; in 

 medio tenuiter carinulatus, utrinque foveolatus, carina, multo minus quam in con- 

 spicillati femina, curvata. Tibife anticte tarsis minutis instructfe. 



This species must be placed next to Ph. conspicillatus, which in general form it 

 much resembles. Apart from its uniformly black coloration, it differs from it in the 

 following particulars : — the head horn is much more sharply recurved and minutely 

 punctured on its anterior surface ; the thoracic horns are more slender and sharper 

 at the apex, while there is no depression whatever between them, the dorsal surface 

 being merely gently rounded, almost flat ; the deep sulcus external to them is more 

 sharply defined and more limited posteriorly in extent ; the lateral margins of the 

 thorax are not nearly so sinuous, and are narrowly but distinctly reflexed all round, 

 save at the scutelliform lobe in the middle of the base. The elytra differ widely, 

 their strise being broad and opaque, the interstices narrow, convex, and polished on 

 their summits. The origins of the third and fourth strise are merged in one large 

 depression. The pygidium is very minutely and closely punctate, whereas in con- 

 spicillatus the punctures are large and less frequent. The whole of the underside, 

 with the femora, tibiae and tarsi is black ; the pubescence blaekish-piceous. 



The finest examples of this species with which I am acquainted, 

 and from which the above descriptions were taken, are in the collection 

 of M. E.. Oberthiir, to whose liberality I am indebted for the speci- 

 mens in my own. There is an example of the mas minor form in the 

 Hope Collection at Oxford bearing a label (apparently in Burmeister's 

 handwriting) with the name ebeninus upon it, w-hich name, being 

 peculiarly applicable to the species, I retain. The few specimens I 

 have seen are from French Guiana. 



6, Tite Street, S.W. : 



November lltk, 1890. 



