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



Gen. LEUCOCELIS, Burm., 



Handb. d. Entomol., iii., 1842, p. 421. 



Cyrtothyrea Kolb. Stett. Ent., Zeit., 1895, p. 286. 

 Erythroderma Kolb., loc. cit., p. 285. 



Mentum very long, four times as long as broad, nearly parallel and 

 not broader at apex than at base, deeply incised in the centre of the 

 anterior margin, and with the outer angles moderately rounded, last 

 joint of labial palps thickened, the palps cavity broad but short 

 owing to the great length of the mentum ; inner maxillary lobe very 

 densely pubescent but ending in a short, sharp tooth, upper lobe 

 with a very long pencil of hairs ; last joint of labial palps thick, sub- 

 truncate at apex ; clypeus long, slightly acuminate, incised in the 

 centre at apex, and with the angles not rounded ; eyes large ; 

 antennal club shorter than the pedicel in both sexes ; prothorax as 

 long as broad, diagonally ampliated laterally from the apex to about 

 one-third of the length, nearly straight thence to the rounded basal 

 angle, the base straight above the scutellum, except in L. natalica ; 

 the latter longer than broad, very sharply acuminate and some- 

 what sunk in ; prothoracic epimera greatly developed ; elytra strongly 

 bulging out beyond the epimera, deeply sinuate below the shoulder, 

 elongated and very narrowed behind, somewhat depressed, and 

 having on each side a discoidal costa entire and an inner one 

 disappearing at about the middle and replaced thence to the 

 apex by two geminate lines, the suture is much raised and generally 

 acuminate at apex ; the pygidium is long, triangular, truncate at 

 apex ; sternal process plane, either projecting much beyond the 

 coxae, or moderately so, or not at all, usually with the trans- 

 verse suture visible, and either sub-orbicular, arcuate, or almost 

 transverse at apex ; abdomen compressed laterally ; anterior tibiae 

 bi-dentate, intermediate and posterior with a weak spine on the 

 upper side, all fringed with a moderately long pubescence inwardly ; 

 tarsi long, joints sub-cylindrical. 



Kolbe has split the genus in several sub-genera. I am, however, 

 of opinion that in so far as the South African are concerned, specific 

 characters have been mistaken by him for generic ones. 



The species included in this genus are all found on flowers of 

 various kinds. They vary greatly in colour and markings. 



Key to the Species. 



A 2 . Hind marginal prothorax quite straight above the scutellum. 



Bs. Sternal process strongly projecting, sub-orbicular at 



apex (Erythroderma). 



