﻿GENERA 
  BRONTHISPA 
  AND 
  PROMECOTHECA. 
  151 
  

  

  The 
  beetle 
  is 
  smaller 
  than 
  P. 
  opacicollis 
  and 
  differs 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  antennae 
  light- 
  

   coloured 
  on 
  the 
  basal 
  joints, 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  (except 
  the 
  eyes), 
  thorax, 
  legs 
  and 
  basal 
  

   third 
  of 
  the 
  wing-covers 
  yellow 
  and 
  the 
  hind 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  wing-covers 
  deep 
  

   metallic 
  purple 
  to 
  blue. 
  

  

  The 
  Solomon 
  Is. 
  Coconut 
  Hispid 
  {Promecotheca 
  antiqua, 
  Weise). 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  did 
  not 
  notice 
  this 
  beetle 
  during 
  his 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  Solomon 
  Islands, 
  but 
  

   subsequently 
  received 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  specimens 
  from 
  Bougainville. 
  It 
  had 
  been 
  

   previously 
  recorded 
  from 
  New 
  Britain 
  and 
  German 
  New 
  Guinea, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  

   as 
  a 
  leaf 
  pest 
  of 
  the 
  coconut 
  palm. 
  Closely 
  allied 
  to 
  P. 
  opacicollis 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  general 
  

   form, 
  it 
  differs 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  basal 
  joints 
  of 
  the 
  antennae 
  more 
  ferruginous, 
  the 
  head 
  

   and 
  thorax 
  black, 
  the 
  wing-covers 
  more 
  rugose, 
  not 
  so 
  deeply 
  striated, 
  of 
  a 
  uniform 
  

   light 
  colour 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  three-quarters 
  and 
  the 
  apical 
  quarter 
  black. 
  

  

  The 
  Queensland 
  Coconut 
  Hispid 
  (Promecotheca 
  callosa, 
  Baly). 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  Northern 
  Australia 
  upon 
  native 
  palms. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  

   specmens 
  in 
  the 
  Macleay 
  Museum 
  collections 
  from 
  Cape 
  York, 
  Queensland. 
  It 
  

   measures 
  slightly 
  over 
  one-third 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  is 
  somewhat 
  broader 
  across 
  

   the 
  shoulders 
  than 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  previously 
  noticed. 
  The 
  head, 
  thorax, 
  

   antennae, 
  and 
  under 
  surface 
  are 
  black, 
  with 
  only 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  tarsi 
  golden 
  yellow. 
  

   The 
  elytra 
  are 
  yellow, 
  swelling 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  front 
  margin, 
  but 
  of 
  a 
  uniform 
  width, 
  

   broadly 
  rounded 
  to 
  the 
  tips, 
  and 
  ornamented 
  with 
  eight 
  parallel 
  striae 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  

   impressed 
  with 
  small 
  deep 
  contiguous 
  punctures. 
  Nothing 
  has 
  been 
  recorded 
  of 
  

   the 
  habits 
  or 
  exact 
  food-plant 
  of 
  this 
  beetle. 
  

  

  The 
  Port 
  Darwin 
  Coconut 
  Hispid 
  (Promecotheca 
  varipes, 
  Baly). 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  several 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  Macleay 
  Museum. 
  Mr. 
  

   Lea 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  Adelaide 
  Museum 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  

   locality 
  (Port 
  Darwin, 
  N. 
  Australia) 
  obtained 
  upon 
  the 
  foliage 
  of 
  Pandanus. 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  as 
  the 
  previous 
  species, 
  it 
  has 
  the 
  head, 
  thorax, 
  fore 
  legs 
  and 
  

   elytra 
  yellow 
  ; 
  the 
  tarsi, 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  femur 
  and 
  tibia 
  of 
  the 
  fore 
  legs, 
  the 
  

   antennae, 
  the 
  middle 
  and 
  hind 
  legs, 
  and 
  the 
  under 
  surface 
  black. 
  The 
  thorax 
  is 
  

   deeply 
  constricted 
  by 
  three 
  transverse 
  rounded 
  ridges, 
  the 
  central 
  one 
  the 
  broadest. 
  

   The 
  elytra 
  swelling 
  out 
  in 
  front, 
  broadly 
  rounded 
  to 
  the 
  apex, 
  with 
  similar 
  parallel 
  

   striae, 
  but 
  the 
  punctures 
  deeper 
  than 
  in 
  P. 
  callosa. 
  

  

  Two 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  from 
  German 
  New 
  Guinea 
  by 
  the 
  Hungarian 
  

   Entomologist, 
  Csiki, 
  Promecotheca 
  biroi 
  and 
  P. 
  papuana, 
  but 
  neither 
  has 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  

   recorded, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  know, 
  as 
  a 
  pest 
  of 
  coconuts. 
  

  

  The 
  Leaf-bud 
  Hispa 
  (Bronthispa 
  jroggatti, 
  Sharp). 
  

  

  The 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  beetles 
  of 
  this 
  genus 
  are 
  not 
  leaf-miners, 
  but 
  feed 
  with 
  the 
  adult 
  

   beetles 
  upon 
  the 
  epidermis 
  of 
  the 
  opening 
  leaf-buds, 
  protected 
  in 
  the 
  half-folded 
  

   fronds. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  included 
  here 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  done 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  damage 
  and 
  

   caused 
  much 
  extra 
  expense 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  looking 
  after 
  the 
  young 
  coconut 
  palms 
  

   in 
  the 
  plantations 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Solomons. 
  

  

  The 
  beetle, 
  larvae 
  and 
  pupae 
  may 
  be 
  all 
  found 
  together 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  palm 
  frond, 
  

   so 
  that 
  their 
  life-history 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  studied. 
  Both 
  the 
  beetles 
  and 
  larvae 
  gnaw 
  

  

  