ENTOMOSCELIS. APAKSIIA. 



95 



E. metallica, Baly, will prove to be a synonym of Entomoscelis 

 assamensis, Baly (now known as Potaninia assamensis, see above, 

 p. 93). It' this is so, no true Entomoscelis has yet been found 

 within our geographical frontiers. As, however, for reasons 

 explained below, 1 have not seen the type of E. metallica, Baly's 

 description of that insect is here cited. 



62. Entomoscelis metallica, Baly. 



Entomoscelis metallica, Baly, Ent. Month. Mag. xxv, 1888, p. 85. 



" Oblongo-ovata, valde convexa, picea, nitida, corpore superiori 

 pedibusque cupreo nitentibus; thorace convexo, distincte sed 

 tenuiter punctato; elytris seriato-punctatis, punctis in striis 

 inordinatis ad apicein confuse, dispositis. Long., 3|-4 lin. 



u Hab. Sikklm, Teste Valley, 2000-4000 ft. 



" Labrum piceo-f ulvous. Thorax nearly twice as broad as long ; 

 sides nearly straight and parallel behind the middle, obliquely 

 converging towards the apex anteriorly ; disc convex, finely but 

 distinctly punctured, the punctures irregularly congregated on the 

 surface. Elytra scarcely broader than the thorax, ovai, strongly 

 convex, finely seriate-punctate, the punctures placed irregularly 

 on the striae, the latter lost before reaching the apex of the 

 elytra. 



" Very similar in appearance to E. assamensis, mihi (Cist. Ent. 

 ii, p. 437), separated from that species by the stronger metallic 

 tint of the upper surface and legs, by the larger size, and by the 

 more regularly punctured elytra." 



The type of Entomoscelis metallica should be in the Indian 

 Museum, Calcutta, where, I am given to understand, it cannot be 

 traced. But, as stated above under Potaninia, I have before me 

 about thirty specimens of a species from Darjeeling district which 

 is very similar to Potaninia (Baly's E?itomoscelis) assamensis, Baly, 

 and in this long series I find that the three characters by which 

 Baly separates his Entomoscelis metallica from his E. assamensis 

 are variable ; some of the specimens are small and some attain the 

 length of 8| mm. ; some are more metallic than others, and the 

 punctures tend to form rows, more so near the base than near 

 the apex. These characters are not incompatible with Potaninia 

 assamensis. Judging from other species of the genus Entomoscelis 

 that I have seen in the collection of the British Museum, I 

 believe that this genus has not yet been found within our 

 faunistic area. Erom these considerations I am inclined to 

 regard Entomoscelis metallica, Baly, as a synonym of Potaninia 

 assamensis, Baly. 



Genus APAKSHA, nov. 



Genotype, Apaksha himalayensis, sp. nov. 



Body ovate, constricted at the junction of the prothorax and 

 eiytra, widened in the middle and somewhat narrowed behind ; 



