Coleopterous Sub-Family Byrsopince {Gurculionidce). 69 



often with a subquadrate central sutural dark brown patch, 

 and sometimes with rows of white spots on the inflexed 

 margins. 



Head obsoletely punctured and without carinas. Bostrum obso- 

 letely punctured, the dorsal margins rounded. Prothorax dorsally 

 broader than long, sides rounded, broadest rather behind the middle, 

 not dilated at apex ; upper surface deeply and rugosely punctured, 

 but in unabraded specimens the punctures are more or less com- 

 pletely filled up with an earthy-brown indumentum through which 

 only a few scattered granules are visible on the disk ; the anterior 

 transverse impression distinct, but not trifoveate. Elytra short 

 ovate, shoulders rounded, sides slightly ampliated, posterior de- 

 clivity rounded dorsally ; upper surface somewhat irregularly 

 punctured (sometimes the first two rows are regular), the punc- 

 tures being large, shallow, and subreticulate ; intervals 6, 4 and 

 the apical half of 2 with rows of even tubercles, those at the top of 

 the declivity being no larger than the others ; these tubercles are 

 usually sharply conical, but in some specimens they are obtuse, 

 as described by Boheman ; basal callus on interval 3 obsolescent, 

 humeral tubercle on interval 5 small; inflexed margins regularly 

 punctato-sulcate. Legs with dense grey scaling and small brown 

 spots ; posterior tarsi with joint 1 longer than 2, intermediate pair 

 with joint 2 transverse. 



Cape Colony : Eondebosch and Constantia {L. Peringuey, F. 

 Pur cell), Eobben Island {B. M. Lightfoot), Great Fish Eiver [Oxford 

 Museum]. 



Type missing ; in Drege's collection ; type of plumhea in the 

 British Museum. 



The mesosternum varies in structure, some specimens showing a 

 very slight development of the central prominence, but they cannot 

 be separated from the other examples of the long series which I 

 have examined. The type of Pascoe's plumbea agrees so closely 

 with Boheman's description that I am unable to separate it 

 specifically ; it has the dorsal tubercles reduced as in Boheman's 

 type, but this appears to be an unstable character. A difficulty 

 arises here with regard to the anal tubercle of the ? . In some 

 examples this is well developed, in others it is somewhat reduced, 

 while in the remainder it is entirely absent. But the presence of 

 this tubercle does not appear to be consistently correlated with any 

 other external characters, nor is it possible to discriminate two 

 parallel forms among the males, so that the specific value of the 

 tubercle cannot be ascertained until it is possible to examine a series 

 of paired specimens. 



