272 Transactions South African Philosophical Society, [vol. xiii. 



Key to the Species. 



Punctures on the upper side deep, white scales conspicuous lepidiota* 



Punctures on the upper side finer, white scales not conspicuous . . . . proximo.- 



Coniopholis lepidiota, Burm., 

 Plate XLIIL, figs. 24, 25. 



Handb. d. Entomol IV., ii. p. 284. 



Totally dark chestnut, or chestnut-brown, with the elytra light 

 chestnut, slightly rufescent, club of antennae flavescent ; head and 

 clypeus covered with closely set, nearly contiguous punctures the 

 walls of which are raised on the head, each puncture filled w r ith a 

 somewhat round, white scale, the angles of the clypeus are rounded, 

 and it is deeply sinuate in the centre of the anterior margin, the 

 sutural line is very plain ; prothorax more attenuated laterally from 

 the ampliated median part towards the apex than towards the base 

 the angle of which is sharp, very little convex, the outer margins are 

 plainly crenulate, the disk is covered with nearly confluent, round, 

 deep punctures containing a round white scale, in the anterior part 

 there is a central, longitudinal impression; scutellum cordate, smooth 

 in the centre, punctulate and scaly laterally ; elytra slightly wider at 

 the shoulders than the basal part of the prothorax, very slightly 

 sinuate laterally before the median part, and not much ampliated 

 thence to the posterior, moderately convex, non-costate, covered 

 with somewhat rounded punctures separated from each other by a 

 smooth space nearly equal to their own diameter, and containing a 

 slightly elongated white scale ; the propygidium is almost completely 

 covered by the elytra ; the pygidium is somewmat cordate, vertical, 

 plane, covered with nearly contiguous punctures, each with a white 

 scale ; abdominal segments and femora covered with sub-contiguous 

 white scales broader than those of the upper side, pectus densely 

 pubescent, the pubescence flavescent ; anterior tibiae strongly tri- 

 dentate outwardly, tarsi moderately long. 



This species varies so much in size that I thought the smaller 

 form might prove to be a distinct species, until I saw a fairly long 

 series caught in the same neighbourhood. The complicated genital 

 armature is the same in both forms. 



Length 12-19-J mm. ; width 7-9J mm. 



Hah. Natal (Durban, Maritzburg). 



