A new African species of the Coleopterous genus Hister

Length 6 mm., breadth 5 mm. — Oval, but little convex, broadly rounded at the sides; glossy black, legs ferrugineous brown. — Head broad, clypeus subdepressed, separated from the front by a strong stria which is subangularly curved; mandibles concave. — Prothorax transverse, broad and almost straight at the base, the sides oblique, the front border notched, with produced obtuse angles, the internal lateral stria strong, entire, slightly arcuated towards the base, the external stria running from the middle to the eyes. The scutellum narrow, triangular. — Elytra rounded and dilated at the sides, truncated at the end, having their greatest width at the shoulders; their striae strong, crenulated, the first, second and third dorsal ones entire, the fourth and the sutural one a little shortened at the base which is also the case with the internal subhumeral stria; the fifth much shorter; the epipleura excavated, provided with two grooves of which the internal one is interrupted. — Pygidium arc-shaped, and densely and rugosely punctured as well as the propygidium. — Prosternum narrow, blunt at the base, provided in front with a deflexed narrow projection, mesosternum truncated, broadly margined. — Tibiae broad, much compressed, the anterior ones quadridentate, the posterior ones biserially spined. Must be arranged close to H. Loandae. — I feel obliged to dedicate this rather curious species, of which a single specimen has been sent over from Liberia (West Africa) by Messrs. Büttikofer and Sala, to the learned Conservator of the Entomological Department of the Leyden Museum, whose intelligent activity is a sure guarantee for the prosperity of that establishment.