A Bevision of the Genus Synthocus. 103 



Colour black with very dense earthy-brown or grey scaling ; thorax 

 with two dorsal stripes of dark brown or black, often bordered with 

 dark red ; elytra black or dark brown dorsally as far as the 5th 

 interval, except for a broad paler sutural stripe. In some examples 

 this stripe emits a short oblique ray behind middle, while in others 

 the costae of the elytra are more or less marked with dark red scaling. 



Prothorax a little broader than long, sides slightly rounded, 

 broadest behind middle, evidently narrowed towards apex but 

 scarcely constricted ; upper surface rather convex, with large deep 

 punctures, which are less numerous laterally, with a broad shallow 

 central furrow and a shallow transverse impression near apex. 

 Elytra broadly ovate, the basal margin subtruncate and not broader 

 than the base of the prothorax, shoulders broadly rounded, the 

 posterior declivity steep, but rounded dorsally ; upper surface with 

 regular rows of very large contiguous punctures (entirely hidden by 

 the very dense scaling), the intervals tuberculato-costate ; intervals 

 2, 4, and 6 more elevated posteriorly than 3 and 5 ; 2 and 6 nearly 

 reaching the apex, 4 ceasing abruptly at the declivity ; 3 and 5 

 broader and higher at the base, but narrowing posteriorly and only 

 just reaching the declivity ; interval 1 broad, quite plane and smooth 

 from the base to the apex. Legs black, with small pale spots and the 

 basal three-fourths of the femora with uniform dense grey scaling ; 

 tibiae scabrous, the anterior pair denticulate externally and with 

 external angle strongly produced ; tarsi rather short and very broad. 



Bechuanaland : Lake Ngami. 



Type in the British Museum ; type of sordidus in the S. African 

 Museum. 



A variable species, of which I have seen nine specimens. It is 

 closely allied to nigro^pictus, Boh., from which it diii'ers in its more 

 rounded elytra, in having the intervals 3 and 5 costate posteriorly 

 and in its smaller and more numerous lateral tubercles. In sordidus, 

 P6r., the elytra are proportionately a little broader than in the type, 

 but this appears to be merely a sexual character ; the colouring is 

 also much duller than in Pascoe's specimens. 



15. Synthocus plagosus. Per. 



S. plagosus, Per., Trans. S. Afr. Phil. Soc, 1885, p. 138. 



Long. 12 ; lat. 7 mm. 



Colour of prothorax light fulvous with two narrow black dorsal 

 stripes ; elytra with dense black scaling, with a large humeral patch, 

 a small elongate spot at the base of the suture and a broad irregular 

 transverse band across the top of the declivity light fulvous. 



Prothorax a little broader than long, sides slightly rounded, deeply 



