jan.— mar. 1857.] Descriptions of new Ceylon Coleopter a. 183 



maxill. art. ultimo apice angustato levissime truncate Mandi- 

 bulae unidentatse. Thorax amplus angulis acutis, antice emargi- 

 natus, postice pluries sinuatus, subtus punctatus. Elytra ovato- 

 quadrata, angulis 4 apicalibus rotundatis, pygidium haud obtegen- 

 tia. Pedes validse. femoribus tibiisque incrassatis ; anteriores tibiis 

 apice intus unispinosis, tarsis art. 1-3 fortiter dilatatis, 1-2 subse- 

 qualibus transversis, profunde reniformibus, 3° minore, cordato, 

 4° minimo, subcylindrico ; intermed. et post, tibiis extus spinulo- 

 sis, tarsis anterioribus similibus sed art. 1-3 minus dilatatis, cordi- 

 formibus, Prosternum marginatum, punctatum, obtuse acumina- 

 tum. Mesosternum antice carinatum. 



Variat magnitudine et colore seneo-brunnea. 

 Prope Colombo in floribus per occasionem frequentissime legi. 

 Of the usual shape and color, but larger than usual, varying, 

 however, in this respect — some individuals being fully one-third 

 smaller than others. These small individuals, which occur in the 

 proportion of about 1 to 20, are moreover nearly always of a brown- 

 ish metallic color instead of a blackish green. I have been unable 

 to discover any other distinctions. I was much interested by the 

 discovery of these insects, having missed them for years amongst 

 the abundantly represented Nilidulidce of the Island. They appear 

 of local occurrence or attached to certain plants, which is nearly 

 the same. I find them in abundance in the beautiful bell shaped 

 blossoms of the Argyreia argeniea and one or two other plants in 

 my garden. The species appears to differ from the typical Meli- 

 gethes in the following points : the structure of the mentum, which 

 I have sufficiently described above, the last joint of the lab. palpi 

 which in this case is not truncated, and the first of the antennas 

 which is externally incrassated as in Epurcea. The antennas are 

 otherwise robust, the club is firm and hairy. The thorax is very 

 ample, thinly ciliated along the upper part of the anterior margin, 

 rather strongly below. The prosternum is largely developed, mar- 

 ginated, punctured and obtusely acuminated, overlapping the an- 

 terior part of the mesosternum which (the anterior part) is cylin- 

 dric and carinated. Joints 1-3 of the tarsi are strongly penicillated 

 below, the penicilla being composed of glanduliferous hairs of a 

 tine golden color, 



