Distinguished by the short dentiform prominence at centre
of front margin of clypeus, and by the two tubercles to the
forehead. (W. L. D.)
Fam. MELonoNTHinjE.
A considerable number of the flower-visiting species of this
family are found in the Transvaal, hut in nothing like the
number in which they abound in more Southern Africa.
Species of the genera Eriesthis, Pachycnema, Monochelus, and
Dichelus are found on the few scattered flowers that bloom on
the veld, and Eriesthis semihirta is certainly the most abundant
and common species.
The smaller species of the family are still so little worked
out that I can only make a small enumeration of those that
have been described.
Eriesthis semihirta, Burm.
Pretoria.
Eriesthis guttata, Burm.
Pretoria.
Pachycnema tibialis, Oliv.
Pretoria.
Monochelus, sp. ?
Pretoria.
Dichelus vulpinas, Burm.
Pretoria.
Sérica, spp. ?
Pretoria.
Trochalus, sp. ?
Waterberg.
Schizonycha, sp. ?
Pretoria.
Fam. R u t e l id a :.
To the difficult species of this family the same remark
applies as to the Melolonthidse—they are little worked out.
I found, as I did in Malacca, that many species come to light,
and are almost only found in that way. The peculiar habits of
two species of Adoretus have already been described {ante,
p. 47).
Popillia bipunctata, Fabr. Durban, Natal.
Adoretus luteipes, Casteln. Pretoria.
Adoretus, sp. ? Pretoria.
Fam. D y n a s t id®.
I did not meet with many of this family in the Transvaal.
Oryctes boas was very abundant in old tan, and in its larval
condition is, I have little doubt, eaten by the Wagtail (Mota-
cilla capensis), as numbers of these birds were always searching
the material which contained the larvae.
Heteronychus, sp. ? Pretoria.
Oryctes boas, Fabr. • Pretoria.
Cyphonistes vallatus, Wied. Pretoria.
Syrichthus verus, Burm. Pretoria.
Fam. C e t o n iid a s .
I paid considerable attention to the collection of these beetles,
for they appeared with the flowers, and as plants and trees
successively blossomed, so new species of Cetoniidae were found
upon the bloom. Often the time of the appearance of the
insect was as limited as the duration of the flower. Anoplo-
chilus tomentosus is found on the open veld, buried in the
bloom of a dicotyledonous plant somewhat resembling our own
Dandelion. The blooms of Asclepiads (Gomphocarpi) are
visited by Melinesthes umbonata, species of Oxythyrea (including
the widely distributed Oxythyrea cinctella), Coptomia um-
brosa, and Tephrcea morosa. Diplognatha silicea is of very
strong flight and I only secured it on the wing, and in the
same manner I took the rare Ischnostoma nasuta. The two
commonest species are Plcesiorrhina plana and Pachnoda flavi-
ventris; both are found nearly throughout the whole of the
summer, and their depredations on apples in the Natal Colony
have already been described [ante, p. 126).
I have to thank Mr. Oliver Janson for assisting me in the
identification of some species of this family.
Hypselogenia concava, Gory & Perch. Pretoria.
Diceros algoensis, Westw. Pretoria,
var. flavipennis, Westw. Pretoria,
Ischnostoma nasuta, Schaum. Pretoria.
Plcesiorrhina plana, Wied. Pretoria.