HOPLIA. 131 



Group I. Hind tibiae linear. 



1. Hoplia festiva. (Tab. VIII. fig. 3.) 



Hoplia f estiva, Burm. Handb. der Ent. iv. 1, p. 193, and iv. 2, p. 485 \ 



Hah. Mexico 1 , Cordova, Orizaba, Tomatlan (Salle)) Coscomatepec (H'dge). 



Burmeister's description, drawn up apparently from a single example, fails to convey 

 a correct idea of the colours and markings of this elegant species. The pattern of the 

 elytra in most examples consists in two or three black longitudinal lines with two large 

 black spots in each interspace, the ground-colour Varying from light greenish-ashy to 

 orange-fulvous. The numerous varieties diverge from this typical pattern in opposite 

 directions :— 1, towards melanism, the black spots and stripes being fused together, at 

 first leaving pale spots on a dark ground, and in the extreme form the elytra becoming 

 wholly velvety-black; 2, towards lack of black pigment, the black lines and spots 

 becoming attenuated, and more or less vague ; 3, until at length the elytra are 

 uniformly ashy or fulvous. The thorax is generally, as Burmeister describes it, ashy 

 with a broad discoidal black patch, but varies in the black central spot being dissolved 

 into two vittse, or (in the unicolorous pale form) disappearing altogether. 



I can detect no sexual difference among the numerous examples either in the abdomen, 

 legs, or antennal club. The anterior tibiae are in all tridentate. We figure a specimen 

 from Tomatlan. 



2. Hoplia mexicana. 



Hoplia mexicana, Gemm. & Harold, Cat. Col. iv. p. 1113. 



Hoplia irrorata, Burm. Handb. der Ent. iv. 2, p. 484 (nom. prseocc.) \ 



Hob. Mexico 1 . 



A species placed by Burmeister next to H. festiva ; it is not contained in our 

 collection. 



3. Hoplia asperuk. (Tab. VIII. fig. 4.) 



Parva, oblonga, supra squamulis elevatis granuliformibus densissime vestita, atro- vel fulvo-fusca, thorace vitta 

 dorsali lateribusque argenteis, elytris pone medium maculis 6 oblongis obscurius fuscis fasciatim ordinatis 

 et guttis cinereis margiuatis ; corpore subtus argenteo-margaritaceo squamosis, pygidio plus minusve 

 fulvescente : femoribus squamis angustis argenteis sparsim vestitis, tibiis tarsisque (his rufescentibus) 

 cinereo-setosis ; clypeo breviter trapezoideo, margine antico truncato et reflexo ; thorace post medium 

 sinuatim angustato ; tibiis antieis 3 dentatis, posticis rectis, margine superiore ante apicem leviter 

 sinuato ; antennis 9-articulatis, clava nigra. 



Ungues pedum 4 anteriorum omnes flssi, intermediorum minore sat elongate. 



Long. 4-4^ millim. 



Hob. Mexico, Jalapa (Hoge). 



The densely packed scales of the upper surface are not flat and adpressed as in 



SS 2 



