of the Group Cerambycinse. 257 
serve to distinguish this species from any of the similarly 
coloured and allied species. 
Plocederus purpuripennis , sp. n. 
5 . Niger ; antennis pedibusque et abdomine rufescentibus, elytris 
ruetallico-purpurascentibus ; prothorace supra transversim irregu- 
lariterque rugoso ; elytris nitidis, minutissime subsparsimque 
punctulatis ; processu prosterni postice in medio obsolete tuber - 
culato. 
Long. 26, lat. 8| mm. 
Hah . Natal. 
Black, with the antennse, legs, and abdomen reddish, the 
elytra purplish metallic and very glossy. Prothorax above 
transversely and somewhat irregularly wrinkled, without 
oblique impressions on the disk. Elytra very minutely and 
somewhat sparsely punctulate, with the punctures almost 
equal in size and pretty evenly spread over the whole surface ; 
apices truncate, with the outer angles dentate. 
The character of the punctuation of the elytra is alone 
almost sufficient to distinguish this from any of the allied 
species. The species seems to me to come nearest to P. 
viridipennis . 
Plocederus melancholicus (Dupont, MS.), sp. n. 
Hamaticherus fucatus , Dej. Cat., nec Thoms. 
Piceo-fuscus, subtiliter cinereo-pubescens ; capite margin© clypei 
leviter sinuata ; prothorace supra irregulariter minus fortiter 
rugoso, sulcis obliquis obsoletis impresso ; antennis articulis a 
quarto ad decimum apice interne denticulato-productis. 
Long. 25-35, lat. 7£-10£ mm. 
Hah . West Africa. 
Head with the clypeal margin slightly sinuate ; with the 
frontal plaque almost in the form of a transverse carina. 
Antennae with the third joint unarmed; with the joints from 
the fourth to the tenth each produced at the inner apical 
termination into a denticulate process. Prothorax acutely 
spined at the sides, irregularly and not very strongly wrinkled 
above, with some very faint oblique impressions, marking off 
a sort of diamond-shaped central area. Elytra dark brown 
with a tint of red, clothed with a rather faint ashy pubes- 
cence ; closely and minutely punctured, with the punctures 
somewhat unequal in size ; apices truncate, with the sutural 
angles briefly spined, the external angles dentate. 
