1904.] Catalogue of the Coleojptera of South Africa. 77 



robust, bi-incised on the upper edge and without oblique ridge, 

 the apical spurs sharp in both sexes, but more sinuate in the 

 female, in which sex the posterior tarsi are also shorter. 



The species which I have been able to observe fly very low in the 

 daytime, and are met with from August to April in the Western Pro- 

 vinces of the Cape Colony. 



The genus might be divided into two sections {Parablabera, 

 Ablabera), owing to the number of joints forming the antennal 

 club, but it is sometimes difficult to decide if the last joint of 

 the pedicel is a part of the club or not, owing to its being very 

 often briefly laminate. This division is also very artificial, because 

 A. gratula, for instance, with a 7- join ted club in the male has the 

 same shape and colouring as the species belonging to the group in 

 which the male has a 6-jointed antennal club. 



The first section is mostly restricted to the Cape Colony, but it has 

 one representative in the Transvaal. One species of the genus is 

 recorded from German East Africa. 



The character distinguishing this genus from Microcamenta, the 

 claws of which are alike, is the absence of a median transverse ridge 

 or clypeal suture in addition to the frontal one, and from Camenta, 

 the shape of the claws which are not lobate or swollen underneath 

 at the base. 



Key to the Species. 



A 2 . Antennal club of male 5- or 6-, of female 5-jointed, the ulti- 

 mate joint of the pedicel laminate but short in both sexes . . (Parablabera.) 



a. 2 Antennal club of male 5-jointed. 



Black, with the elytra partly testaceous, upper side clothed 

 with long, greyish remote hairs ; clypeus not impressed in 

 front hirsuta. 



Fuscous, with the elytra straw-colour, upper side densely 

 pubescent, clypeus impressed in front, not longer than the 

 head pilosula. 



a 1 . Antennal club of male 6-jointed. 



Black, the elytra testaceous with a broad, black, marginal, 



basal and sutural band splendida. 



a 1 . The ultimate joint of the pedicel not laminate in the female. 



Body black, glabrous on the upper side hottentota. 



Straw-colour, with the prothorax fuscous, and a sutural and 

 marginal fuscous elytral band; clypeus longer than the 

 forehead; inner spur of anterior tibise of male strongly 

 hooked , transvaalica. 



Black, with the elytra testaceous and glabrous, prothorax 



with a juxta-marginal band of hairs in the anterior part . . hirticollis. 



