70 Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 



7. Byrsops spinulosa, Boh. 



Synthocus spimilosiis, Boh., I.e., p. 414 (1842). 



Long. 7-8 ; lat. 3^-4i mm. 



Colour black, with greyish or brownish scaling, but without 

 definite pattern ; the inflexed margins of the elytra grey or whitish 

 with the punctures brown. 



Head impunctate, with two short, indistinct carinse uniting with 

 the ocular ridges. Bostrum obscurely punctured, the dorsal margins 

 slightly elevated near the base. Prothorax dorsally as long as broad, 

 the sides rounded, broadest behind middle, ocular lobes only slightly 

 dilated laterally ; upper surface coarsely and confluently punctured, 

 with a faint central furrow posteriorly and with the dorsal margins 

 indistinctly tuberculate, the basal part very convex and very steeply 

 declivous anteriorly, owing to the great depression of the anterior 

 margin, which is much below the level of the base, being almost 

 smooth and without foveae ; the inflexed margins shallowly punc- 

 tured above, impunctate below. Elytra oblongo-ovate, shoulders 

 rounded, sides almost straight, broadest rather before middle, apical 

 declivity rounded at its summit; punctuation coarse, quite irregular 

 and subreticulate ; intervals 2, 4, and 6 with complete rows of 

 small, closely set, conical tubercles, those on the declivity being no 

 larger than the others ; intervals 2 and 3 each with a short low carina 

 at the base, 5 with a small humeral tubercle. Legs with either uniform 

 brown scaling or grey variegated with brown, and with scattered 

 pale set^ ; tarsi rather short and sparsely setose, the posterior pair 

 with joint 1 longer than 2, the latter being very short and transverse. 



Cape Colony : Bushmanland [S. A. Mus.] ; " Orange Eiver 

 (Ecklon and Zeyher) " — teste Boheman. 



Type missing ; in Ecklon and Zeyher's collection. 



The unusual shape of the thorax and the transverse second and 

 third tarsal joints will serve to distinguish this species from its 

 congeners. Described from two specimens. In the British Museum 

 example, which was taken by Sir Andrew Smith, the thorax has a 

 slight tubercular prominence on the posterior convexity which is not 

 evident in the Cape Town specimen and makes the anterior declivity 

 appear even more steep. The antennae are aberrant, the funicle 

 being dilated apically and adnate to the club, as in Synthocus. 



8. Byesops flavicollis, sp. nov. 

 Plate VI., fig. 1. 

 Long. 5^-8 ; lat. 3-4| mm. 



Colour black, bare, the prothorax only with yellowish scaling; 

 setae absent or inconspicuous. 



