86 Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society, 



25. Byrsops retusa, Thb. 



Brachycerus retiisus, Thb., Nov. Act. Ups., vi., p. 34 (1799). 

 Brachycenis lineatus, Schonh. Gen. Cure, i., p. 439 (1833). 

 Byrsops retusus, Boh., Schonh. Gen. Cure, vi., 2, p. 392 (1842). 

 Byrsops thunhergi, Boh., I.e. p. 391. 



Byrsops vittigera, Pasc, Trans. Ent. Soc. L. 1887, p. 330, pi. xi., 

 fig. 4. 



Var. encausta, Pasc, I.e. p. 329, pi. xi., fig. 6. 



Long. 6}-12i ; lat. 31-6 mm. 



Colour grey or light brown, the sides of the thorax usually 

 darker ; elytra with the space between the 4th and 6th intervals 

 dark brown, and on each side of the suture a broad stripe of dark 

 or light brown velvet scaling which extends behind the middle ; 

 there is also sometimes a small transverse dark patch at the top 

 of the declivity. In the var. encausta the sutural stripes are 

 united for the greater part of their length, but are always separated 

 at the extreme base. 



Head with variable shallow punctuation and without carinae. 

 Bostrum shallowly bisulcate and obscurely punctured. Prothorax 

 dorsally longer than broad, its sides scarcely rounded, the ocular 

 lobes not dilated at apex ; upper side shallowly punctured and with 

 a broad complete central furrow, transversely impressed near apex 

 and with a broad fovea on each side of the furrow ; the sides with 

 deep scattered punctures which are more or less obsolete towards 

 the base. Elytra suboblong, shoulders narrow and oblique, sides 

 moderately ampliated, the posterior declivity abruptly retuse ; upper 

 surface with the punctuation variable ; in the typical form there 

 are rows of distinct punctures, of which the first and second row are 

 more or less hidden by the scaling until behind the middle, 3 is 

 straight and regular, 4 and 5 are irregular or confused ; in other 

 examples these punctures become very faint, and are even liable to 

 entirely disappear ; a precisely similar variation occurs in the var. 

 encausta ; the inflexed margins have broad regular sulci containing 

 punctures of variable depth ; interval 6 dentate (but sometimes 

 simply carinate), interval 4 carinate near the base but serrato- 

 tuberculate behind middle and with the tubercle at the top of the 

 declivity rather larger than the others, 2 with only two or three 

 small tubercles before the declivity, and 5 with a short humeral 

 carina. Legs elongate, rather thick, with dense grey scaling and 

 long pale setae ; tarsi long and densely setose, the posterior pair 

 with joint 1 not longer than 2, the latter being twice as long as 

 broad. 



