264 
Transactions of the Boyal Society of South Africa. 
Cantharis MIMA, n. sp. 
Head, antenase, prothorax and legs black ; elytra, pectus and abdomen 
blue-black ; antennae long, joints sub-cylindrical but slightly compressed ; 
head briefly pubescent and, like the prothorax, shining, and closely and 
deeply punctate all over ; prothorax very strongly narrowed laterally into 
a long neck from about the median part, transversely depressed above in 
the anterior part, sub-gibbose in the posterior, fossulate in the centre of 
the base and with a short but deep median line, broadly and deeply 
punctate, the fossule-like punctures sub-contiguous and each bearing a 
very short bristle ; elytra elongated coriaceous, clothed with a fuscous 
greyish appressed pubescence ; under side deeply and closely punctulate, 
briefly pubescent. 
In colour, this species greatly resembles the dark blue species of the 
genus Cyaneolytta, but is at once distinguished by the shape of the 
prothorax, the absence of a red pectoral macule, and the normal shape 
of the tarsi and spurs. 
Length 14 mm. ; width 4 mm. 
Hab. Northern Damaraland. 
Cantharis mesembryanthemi, Paring., 
Trans. S. Afric. Phil. Soc, iv., 1888, p. 140. 
Brick-red, with the labrum and epistome, the antennae, legs and pectus 
f Qscous rufescent ; upper side almost glabrous, except on the epistome, 
and shiny, under side sparingly and very briefly pubescent ; legs pubescent ; 
head with two plain impressions at the base of the frontal part, the whole 
of it is very sparingly and very remotely punctate, the punctures on the 
labrum and epistome are however deeper and much more deeply set ; 
antennae very short, not reaching the shoulders, the six penultimate joints 
are nearly as broad as long ; the pedicel of the head is fuscous ; prothorax 
longer than broad, gradually attenuate rounded laterally from the median 
part to the apex, without being constricted there, the median basal fossule 
is elongated, and the anterior part of the prothorax is plainly sloping, but 
not transversely impressed, and the surface is very sparingly and very 
remotely punctate; elytra strongly coriaceous, elongated, slightly ampliate 
behind, plainly singly rounded at apex, but not divaricating, and with the 
posterior margin somewhat broadly edged with black, the dorsal costules 
are not strong, but they are discernible; the under side, abdomen and legs 
are closely aciculate ; anterior tarsi shorter than in any other South African 
species, from which this species differs also by the elongate-ovate prothorax. 
Only the claws of the hind legs are slightly cleft at the tip in the three 
examples which I examined, 
