PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTERA FROM BURMAH 175 



53. Colasposoma pxilolxerrimxiin, Baly. 



Teinzò, Bhamò, Rangoon in Burmah ; Meetan, in Tenasserim. 



The type of this species which I have examined and which 

 may be known from many of its congeners by the bright 

 cupreous elytra, margined with purplish and the similarly coloured 

 lateral spot, agrees exactly with several specimens contained 

 in the present collection ; the latter contains however a great 

 number of specimens which, although totally differing in colour, 

 yet , do not seem to differ sufficiently in other respects , to 

 justify their separation. Specimens are before me of the following 

 colours : 



a. Entirely dark violaceous blue. 



h. Brilliant metallic blue above , the elytra with an obscure 

 lateral purplish band ; the underside darker metallic blue or 

 aeneous. 



c. Elytra obscure cupreous, thorax violaceous. 



d. Entirely seneous, elytra with a lateral bluish or purplish 

 band. 



All these varieties or forms agree almost entirely in the 

 punctuation and every thing else with the typical specimens 

 or if they vary, the differences are so slight that it would not 

 be wise to separate them, since the great variability of species 

 of this genus is well known. ^lotschulsky's descriptions of species 

 of Colasposoma from Burmah are unrecognisable, males and 

 females which vary considerable in many species having been 

 separated and described as different forms. Other descriptions 

 exist -which may be equally applied to several closely allied 

 species from different parts of the East and to my mind, science 

 is not furthered by descriptions of species which differ so little, 

 that it is impossil)le for a future student to determine them or 

 rather to separate them , the great variability of many of the 

 insects preventing their recognition from short descriptions. 



