256 LAMELLICORNIA. 



being a little less elevated, and in the pygidium and under surface of the body being 

 more densely clothed with laid ashy hairs. We figure the individual from Zapote. 



9. Strigoderma physopleura. (Tab. XIV. fig. 12.) 



Parva, ovata, viridi-aenea, nitida, thorace anguste flavo-cincto, elyfcris rufo-testaceis, limbo toto (vel dimidio 

 posteriore)interdum nigro ; capite minus profunde confuse alveolato-punctato, clypeo quadrato margine 

 alte elevato ; thorace quadrato, angulis posticis minus exstantibus, ante medium mediocriter dilatato, 

 cinctura elevata flava intramarginali integra, dorso grosse subdense rugoso-punctato absque foveis ; elytris 

 punctato-sulcatis ; corpore subtus dense cinereo-birto, pygidio fere nudo, polito, parce striguloso. Meso- 

 sternum latum, declive, apice baud prominente. c? • Tarsi antici ungue majore valde elongato, mediocriter 

 lato, dente superiore tenui, breviore. Elytrorum margo lateralis basin versus paullo incrassatus et verti- 

 caliter arcuatus. $ . Elytrorum margo lateralis basin versus valde abrupte arcuatus et crassissimus. 



Long. 6j millim. tf 2 • 



Hab. Mexico, Juquila (Salle). 

 Five examples. 



10. Strigoderma castor. (Tab. XIV. fig. 13, $ .) 



Popillia castor, Newman, Trans. Ent. Soc. Land. iii. p. 49 *. 

 Popillia pollux , Newman, loc. cit. p. 50 2 . 



Hab. Mexico 1 2 , Tuxtla, Playa Vicente, Panistlahuaca (Salle), Cordova, Tapachula 

 in Chiapas (Edge) ; Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt). 



The type specimens of Newman's two species differ in sex, S. castor being a female 

 and S. pollux a male, the latter consequently with a narrower thorax ; they differ also 

 considerably in the thoracic punctuation — in S. castor it is coarse and subconfluent 

 with numerous irregular depressions on each side of the disc, besides the broad groove 

 along great part of the inner side of the yellow submarginal wheal. The thoracic 

 punctuation is, however, very variable in this species in both sexes : in the numerous 

 series before me there are all gradations, and extremes go beyond the states of Newman's 

 species ; but the finest punctuation does not reach the nearly smooth thoracic surface 

 of Burmeister's S. orbicularis. Eare examples occur, however, which partly connect 

 these two apparently distinct species and even S. castor with S. f estiva. 



Independently of the thoracic punctuation, S. castor differs from the nearest allied 

 species or subspecies in the shape of the clypeus, it being semioval or much narrowed 

 and curved from the base to the rounded apex, with the margin very slightly raised. 

 The yellow raised border is never absent from the thorax, the disc of which is generally 

 brassy-green, but sometimes rufo-testaceous, and the oblique depressions on each side are 

 seldom strongly marked. The thorax is dilated considerably before the middle, and 

 the sides behind the angle are deeply sinuated to the hind angles, which are acute in 

 the male and rectangular in the female. Viewed from above the thorax is elongate 

 and narrowed in front in the male, but transverse-quadrate in the female. The elytra 

 have the suture nearly always dusky, and sometimes also the humeral callus, apical 



