Metachroma vittipennis

Metachroma vittipennis

DESCRIPTION.—Approximately 2.5 mm in length, elongate oblong oval, shining, prothorax densely punctate, deep brown to piceous, elytra with regular striate punctation, yellow-brown with a deep reddish brown vitta along side and another from middle of base running diagonally down the middle of elytron and joining suture below middle, sutural edges dark, and one specimen with elytra almost entirely dark, antennae with six apical joints dark.

Head with interocular space more than half width of head, eyes small, not noticeably emarginate, with short sulcus above antennal socket, finely punctate throughout and without transverse sulcus separating front from clypeus, anterior margin of clypeus straight, in one specimen a faint median depression on front; deep reddish brown, almost piceous. Antennae not extending much below humeri, outer joints thicker and darker, basal joints pale yellow-brown. Prothorax nearly as long as wide, with rounded sides, convex, shining, finely and densely punctate, deep piceous brown. Scutellum reddish brown. Elytra about twice as long as prothorax, widest at middle and tapering to apex; humeri small and sharp with a short intrahumeral sulcus, surface shining yellow-brown with deeper reddish brown sutural edges and a dark lateral vitta and a median vitta extending diagonally across to join suture before apex; striate punctation regular and distinct to apex, more deeply impressed on sides with distinctly costate intervals. One specimen with nearly entirely dark piceous elytra except along apical side. Body beneath reddish brown, prosternum almost piceous, metasternum punctate, legs yellowish brown. Femora not toothed; claws with long tooth. Length, 2.2–2.5 mm; width, 1.0–1.2 mm.

TYPE.—Male, in Canadian National Museum. One paratype in USNM.

TYPE LOCALITY.—El Salvador, San Salvador (L. J. Bottimer, collector).

OTHER LOCALITIES.—One specimen taken at Brownsville, Texas, on plane from ?Guatemala; another specimen intercepted at Brownsville on plane from Nicaragua.