Melanoxanthus palustris Zwaluwenburg, 1942, new species

Moderately slender. Generally yellowish brown, with pronotum somewhat more reddish; sutural margin dusky; meso- and metasterna, and abdomen castaneous. First four antenna! segments light yellowish brown, the remainder darker. Legs light brown. Pubescence yellowish, fine, very short. Front very slightly convex; punctation moderately coarse, uniform, lightly impressed; anterior margin rather acutely rounded. Antennae failing to attain tips of hind prothoracic angles by less than the length of terminal segment in male, or by about the length of last two segments in female; 3d segment half as long again as 2d, the two together subequal to 4th; 4 to 10 feebly serrate; 11th broadly oval. Prothorax about as long as median width in both sexes, but not as long as width across tips of hind angles; sides posteriorly subparallel on basal one third in male, or arcuately rounded on posterior one third in female, thence subarcuately narrowed to anterior margin. Pronotum strongly convex; punctation coarser than on head, subumbilicate, lightly impressed, separated on disk by less than their own diameters, subconfluent toward sides; basal declivity rather abrupt, vaguely impressed medianly. Hind angles stout, acutely unicarinate. Propleura sparsely, shallowly umbilicate-punctate generally, almost impunctate toward base; prosternum more closely, uniformly punctate. Mucro briefly upturned behind fore coxae, thence posteriorly subhorizontal; excavate between coxae. Sc-utellum sagittate; moderately inclined, flat, bluntly rounded apically. Elytra at base narrower than hind prothoracic angles; sides narrowed to beyond middle in male, or subparallel to about middle in female, thence conjointly narrowed to apex; apex rounded, entire; each elytron briefly divergent apically along suture, sutural angle finely spinulose. Stria! punctures rather coarse; intervals flat, finely punctulate. Length, male 4.1 mm.; females 4.5 111111

Atantano, Sept. 27, ex Lumnitzera, Swezey, holotype male; Sumay Road, June 23, ex Lumnitzera, Usinger, allotype female, paratype female.

This species was taken only on Lumnitzera pedicillata, but it is by no means certain that it is specific to this mangrove. Both localities given above refer, according to Mr. Swezey, to the same mangrove swamp, the only region in which the species was found.