V.—Notices of new or little-known Genera and Species of Coleoptera.
By FRANCIS P. PASCOE, F.L.S., &.
PART I.
IT is difficult to form any adequate idea of the number of new forms, to say nothing of new species of insects, which exist in, or are being constantly added to, our cabinets*. Many of these are almost hope-
* Mr. S. Stevens has just favoured me with the sight of a collection of Coleoptera (perhaps about a thousand species) made by Mr. Squire at Petropolis (a sort of Brazilian Cintra, and a short days journey from Rio), and although the district has been repeatedly worked, and Mr. Squire was there scarcely two months, yet the result of his visit has been the discovery of a vast number of novelties and some new forms of a very interesting character.
lessly entombed in private as well as in public collections, or have long been accumulating in my own. To record the most remarkable, and such, at the same time, as can easily be recognized by figures and descriptions, if confined to a private collection, is one of the objects of this Journal, and the following is the first of a series of papers which will be devoted to the Coleoptera. As it will be impossible to follow any systematic plan beyond the limits of each paper, a classified list will be given hereafter to diminish this inconvenience.
It must not be forgotten that many of the insects to be described will be either uniques, or, belonging to others, cannot therefore be mutilated by dissection; but as every new genus will be figured, it is hoped that the absence of the usual analyses will not create any difficulty. Practically, we are satisfied with referring species to their genera from their external resemblances; but although it is very often quite impossible to ascertain the affinities of an insect without dissection, there is the danger of attaching too great importance to organs whose characters cannot always be determined satisfactorily, and which, moreover, because they occur in one species, are sometimes erroneously assumed to be present in others. Indeed, it may be doubted if even individual species are so invariable as to justify the minute descriptions of many naturalists.
While believing in the existence of genera quite as much as in the existence of species, is it satisfactorily established that they can always be distinguished by technical characters, such as we are in the habit of employing? In all large genera, I believe, it will be eventually found that they possess no one character in common that is not also possessed by the group or family to which they respectively belong, and hence it is quite natural that the limits of such genera cannot be very strongly defined. This is especially the case in the Longicorn families, which with endless differences in habit agree in a certain similarity of details, so that the generic characters often become mere questions of degree,—while, on the other hand, many Heteromera alike in habit are found to vary remarkably in structure, and in fact to belong to very different groups than those in which their general appearance would seem to place them.
These and other points of the same kind will be often exemplified in the course of these Notices; but in considering the difficulties which beset all attempts at a satisfactory limitation and arrangement of species into families, genera, &., it will be as well to bear in mind the remark of our great naturalist,—"Nature is less of a systematist than Man."
OMOPHRON [Carabidæ].
Latreille, Hist. Nat. des Ins. viii. p. 278.
Omophron Brettinghamœ.
O. ovato-rotundatum, nitidum, testaceum; capite, prothoracis disco, elytrisque (marginibus exceptis) viridi-æneis.
Hab. India (Dacca).
Shortly ovate or nearly orbicular, moderately convex, very smooth and shining; head sparingly punctured, brassy-green; labrum, epistome, and small triangular spot above the latter brownish-testaceous; prothorax finely and remotely punctured, and with the elytra rich brassy-green, bordered externally with testaceous,—the border much wider on the latter, which are also very finely punctured in rather distant rows; eyes and tips of the mandibles dark brown; antennæ), palpi, and legs pale testaceous; body beneath with the sterna pitchy, the abdomen deep testaceous. Length 2 lines.
For the possession of this and many other Coleoptera from the same locality, I am indebted to Dr. Ernest Adams of University College, the author (inter alia) of some exceedingly interesting and learned papers on the "Vernacular names of Insects," in the Transactions of the Philological Society, who received them from India*, where they were collected by Mrs. Brettingham (to whom I have dedicated the exquisite little Omophron just described) in the compound attached to the quarters of Charles Brettingham, Esq., in medical charge of the Kamroop Regiment of Native Infantry stationed at Dacca. They comprised above seventy species, belonging to nearly as many genera. Of these there were only six or seven that were not represented in Europe, viz. Adoretus, Heteronychus, Anisotelus, Macratria, a Nitidulid, and two, or perhaps three, obscure Heteromerous genera, which I have not been able to refer to any hitherto published. Except that there were very few Staphylinidæ, they were mostly such forms as would be found in this country in the débris of a flood; and it is, therefore, most likely that they were collected in the rainy season. Dacca is nearly in the latitude of Calcutta, lies very low, and as it is subject to inundations from the Ganges, it is probable that it affords a larger proportion of European forms than would have been the case in a drier or more elevated district. So little is really known of the Entomology
* Upwards of a thousand specimens, some nearly an inch long, although generally much smaller, enclosed in two large-sized pill-boxes, were transmitted by post in the ordinary way in a single letter. A wine cork hollowed out in the middle, and a little trimmed at the sides, would be an excellent, and at all times available substitute for a box.
of India, that it would be premature to speculate as to its character; but although in its animal productions there is a remarkable amount of Northern temperate forms, they could never have been expected to predominate to such an extent in any one group, as it now appears they do, judging, however, solely from the facts here stated*. There is one point in connexion with this subject which can only be just alluded to here, viz. the apparent tendency of animals to migrate to the south, and not the reverse, or very slightly so†. The idea first occurred to me in noticing the very few Australian forms of Coleoptera occurring in Mr. Wallaces Indian Island collections contrasted with the number of these Indian forms in Australia, especially its northern parts;—compare also Natal with the Cape, or the United States with Mexico or Cuba; notice Upper Egypt, Arabia, Persia, &c., just receiving a tropical form here and there.
CASNONIA [Carabidæ].
Latreille, Icon. de Coleop. dEurope, ed. 1. p. 77.
Casnonia aliena.
C. picea; capite infra oculos profunde lunato-impresso; prothorace capite breviore, postice transverse corrugato; elytris leviter striatis, singulo macula flavescenti apicem versus ornato.
Hab. Australia (Moreton Bay).
Pitchy, shining; head rather broad, a deep semicircular impression between the eyes and the epistome; prothorax not so long as the head, somewhat elliptical, smooth anteriorly, but with delicate transverse folds behind; elytra about the length of the head and thorax together, and three times the width of the latter at its base, faintly striated with an oblong yellowish patch towards the apex of each; antennæ dark brown; legs pitchy, femora at the base and tibiæ in the middle (nearly obsolete, however, in the anterior pair) testaceous-yellow; body beneath pitchy-brown, shining. Length 5 lines.
Although the genus Casnonia is found in India as well as in South America, this is, I believe, the only species yet detected in
* While this sheet was passing through the press, Dr. Adams received another collection from Dacca, evidently made in a more favourable season; still, although there is an addition of many tropical genera, European vastly predominate; and it is worth notice, that nearly all these tropical genera have a very wide range, as for example, Anthia, Chrysochroa, Protœtia, Xylonychus, Cerosterna, Olenocamptus, Glenea, Apomecyna, Batocera, Xylorhiza, &c., all of which are represented by the commonest species.
† The same tendency has been noticed in plants, so far as those of America and Australia are concerned.
Australia, and so for it appears to be absent from the Indian Islands. The present insect is rather larger, with a shorter thorax, than any Casnoniœ that I am acquainted with.
SOSTEA [Parnidæ].
Head small, completely retractile within the thorax. Antennæ received, in repose, in a cavity beneath the eye; 11-jointed, the first very large, laminate, the second dilated inferiorly, the remainder forming a compact flabellate mass. Eyes rounded, entire. Mandibles bidentate at the apex. Maxillæ with lobes, short and broad. Maxillary palpi short, the last joint very large, cylindrical; the labial claviform. Mentum transverse, lobed in front. Labium dilated anteriorly. Prothorax transverse, convex, nearly semicircular. Elytra ovato-triangular, very convex, gibbous towards the base. Legs slender, coxæ distant, tarsi short. Prosternum received in a notch of the mesosternum.
These characters are drawn up exclusively from S. Westwoodii; but the other species so completely resemble it, that there can be no doubt as to their generic identity. In all, the elytra have nine rows of punctures on each. The structure of the antennæ will be better comprehended by the figure* than by any description, but owing to their minuteness, I was unable to detach completely the large basal joint; when in repose it appears to act as a valve, closing in entirely the rest of this organ: all the joints composing the flabellate mass are what may be called boat-shaped, except the last, each being received at its base, and for the greater part of its length, in the concavity of the preceding one,—the first, however, being so much more dilated as so far to enclose the succeeding or fourth joint, that it is only visible at its free extremity; and unless this is attended to, the antennæ will appear to be composed of ten joints only.
I have dedicated the first species to J. O. Westwood, Esq., M.A., F.L.S., &., and have adopted his views respecting the position of the genus, of which, indeed, there can be no doubt.
Sostea Westwoodii. (Pl. II. fig. 6.)
S. ovata, fusco-atra, nitida, longe setosa; scutello triangulari; pedibus rufescentibus.
Hab. Borneo (Sarawak).
Ovate, shining brownish-black, covered with scattered long black setose hairs; prothorax sparingly punctured; scutellum triangular; elytra strongly punctured; legs brownish-ferruginous. Length 2 lines.
* This plate was a first attempt at drawing on stone.
Sostea carbonaria.
S. suboblongo-ovata, atra, nitida, breviter setosa; scutello oblongo; tarsis rufescentibus.
Hab. Moluccas (Batchian).
Ovate, a little inclining to oblong, shining black, with short scattered black setose hairs; scutellum oblong; tarsi ferruginous-red. Length 1½ line.
Smaller than the last, with which it agrees in shape (except that it is a little longer proportionally), punctuation, &.; but it is at once distinguished by its oblong-ovate scutellum.
Sostea œneipennis.
S. ovata, nigra, nitida, longe setosa; scutello triangulari; elytris æneis; pedibus rufo-ferrugineis.
Hab. Borneo (Sarawak).
Ovate, shining bluish-black, with long setose hairs; prothorax rather sparingly punctured; scutellum triangular; elytra brassy; legs reddish-ferruginous. Length 2¼ lines.
Sostea cyanoptera.
S. ovata, atra, nitida, setosa; scutello triangulari; elytris læte cyaneis; pedibus ferrugineis.
Hab. Borneo (Sarawak).
Ovate, shining black, with moderately long setose hairs; prothorax finely punctured; scutellum triangular; elytra rich ultramarine blue; antennæ pale testaceous; legs ferruginous. Length 2 lines.
Sostea secuta.
S. ovata, fusca, subnitida, setosa; prothorace griseo-pubescenti; elytris obscure cyaneis; pedibus ferrugineis.
Hab. Borneo (Sarawak).
Ovate, dark brown slightly inclining to reddish, with long setose hairs; prothorax covered with a short thick greyish pile; scutellum triangular; elytra deep indigo-blue, shining but slightly, with a pale, thin pubescence; legs ferruginous. Length 1½ line.
Resembles the last, but is smaller, with a very decided pubescence, which is almost absent in the rest of the genus.
Sostea elmoides.
S. breviter ovata, fusca, longe setosa, fortiter punctata; scutello subcordato; pedibus rufo-ferrugineis.
Hab. Borneo (Sarawak).
Shortly ovate, dark brown, with long setose hairs, strongly punctured above; scutellum subcordate; legs reddish-ferruginous. Length 1½ line.
Broader and more rounded at the apex of the elytra than any of its congeners, and proportionably shorter.
BYRSAX [Colydiidæ].
Head small, vertical, hidden above by the prothorax. Eyes large, rounded, partially divided by the cheek. Antennæ retractile, short, gradually increasing upwards; the first joint rather slender, the second shortest, the third and fourth longest and equal, the fifth triangular, the sixth to the tenth transverse, the eleventh shortly ovoid. Labrum and epistome very small. Palpi short, linear, the terminal joint ovate. [Mentum transverse; labium oblong, entire, as seen in situ.] Prothorax very transverse, gibbous in the middle, bicornuted anteriorly, the margins dilated and crenulate. Elytra short, very convex, tuberculate, with broad crenulate margins. Legs of moderate size; tarsi with the first three joints very short, equal, with fine hairs beneath. Prosternum strongly compressed. Mesosternum toothed.
In habit this genus closely resembles the Diaperis horrida, Ol., with which Mr. Walkers Asida horrida is probably identical. Its real affinity, however, if we are to be guided by the tetramerous tarsi, is with Endophlœus, Pristoderus, and some other little-known and even undescribed forms among the Colydiidæ, but differing from all in its head being perfectly hidden by the prothorax when viewed from above*.
Byrsax cœnosus. (Pl. III. fig. 7.)
B. rotundatus, pellicula fusco-murina indutus, infra piceus; antennis palpisque brunneis.
Hab. Singapore.
Nearly orbicular, very convex, dark brown, covered with a thin yellowish-brown pellicle, which readily peels off; prothorax with two short porrect horns in front; scutellum small, triangular; elytra each with three tubercles placed near the suture, the two anterior much the largest; body beneath pitchy; antennæ and palpi light brown. Length 4 lines.
The figures represent the head as seen from below, and the intermediate tarsus.
SPHÆROMORPHUS [Scarabeidæ].
Germar, Zeitschr. für d. Entom. iv. p. 111.
Sphœromorphus acromialis.
S. convexus, fusco-piceus; prothorace antics elevato, basi inæquali; elytris suboblongis, elongato-punctatis, humeris elevatis bituberosis.
Hab. Singapore.
* The male (which I have only just noticed in the British Museum) has two long erect horns on the head. The same collection contains a second species of this genus, also from Singapore.
Convex, dark pitchy-brown; head rather broad and a little flattened in front, finely punctured; prothorax very transverse, with numerous areolated punctures, tumid anteriorly behind the head, the sides and disc somewhat concave, the base with two round prominences on each side and a transverse raised line behind them, the anterior angles short, obtuse; scutellum triangular, lying in a hollow between the elytra; elytra shining, slightly oblong, covered with irregular elongate punctures, elevated at the base, the shoulder with two tuberous prominences; antennæ, palpi, body beneath, and all parts of the legs not exposed when the animal is rolled up, pale ferruginous. Length 2 lines.
Sphœromorphus Wallacei.
S. subdepressus, nigro-piceus; prothorace æquo; elytris rotundatis, basi paullo convexis.
Hab. Borneo (Sarawak).
Subdepressed, dark pitchy inclining to black; head slightly convex, finely punctured; prothorax smooth, even, with minute areolated punctures, its anterior angles rounded; scutellum very large, triangular; elytra with a nearly rounded outline, the base towards the shoulders very slightly convex, covered with delicate elongate punctures; antennæ, palpi, body beneath, and legs, where not exposed when the animal is rolled up, ferruginous. Length 1½ line.
The occurrence of a genus so purely American as Sphœromorphus in Borneo may well excite surprise, as, à priori, it might have been supposed, if any of that group occurred at all in the Indian Archipelago, it would have been either a new form, or the Madagascar Synarmostes. I cannot, however, find, from dissection of S. acromialis, any variation of character sufficiently marked to warrant its separation from Sphœromorphus. Dedicated to Mr. A. Wallace, to whose researches in the Indian Archipelago we owe so much.
IDGIA [Telephoridæ].
Laporte de Castelnau, in Silberm. Rev. Ent. iv. p. 27.
Idgia flavirostris.
I. viridis; capitis fronte nigra; rostro, prothorace, femoribusque flavotestaceis.
Hab. North China.
Elongate, deep green, scarcely shining; head thinly punctured, a deep A-shaped impression between the eyes, front to just below the eyes black, rest of the head and palpi yellow; prothorax yellow, subquadrate, a little broader than the head, its sides towards the base somewhat concave with a longitudinal impression in the centre; scutellum obtuse behind; elytra deep green, narrow (from contraction
in drying appearing acuminate at the apex), very minutely punctured with small granular points principally on the basal half, and sparingly covered with short stiffish hairs (invisible except under the lens); antennæ about half the length of the body, the four basal joints yellow, the remainder dark brown; legs slender, coxæ and femora testaceous-yellow, tibiæ and tarsi brown; body beneath black, breast and sides of the abdomen pale yellow. Length 6 lines.
DASCYLLUS [Dascyllidæ].
Latreille, Précis de Carac. gén. des Ins. p. 43.
Dascyllus congruus.
D. elliptico-ovatus, fusco-piceus, griseo-pilosus; antennarum articulis subcylindraceis.
Hab. North China.
Ovate-elliptical, pitchy-brown, everywhere covered with short, coarse greyish hairs; scutellum broadly cordate; joints of the antennæ nearly cylindrical (particularly the last seven). Length 6 lines.
Closely allied to the European D. cervinus, but larger and more robust, the thorax a little longer, the scutellum less transverse, and the joints of the antennæ more cylindrical, or rather less contracted at the base.
CYLIDRUS [Cleridæ].
Latreille, Fam. Nat. p. 354.
Cylidrus centralis.
C. piceus; plaga magna fulva communi medio elytrorum; pedibus quatuor posticis testaceo variis.
Hab. Moreton Bay.
Pitchy-brown, very glossy; head and prothorax finely punctured; elytra minutely punctured in rows, a large, nearly median fulvous-yellow patch common to both; palpi and four or five basal joints of the antennæ fulvous; middle and posterior legs, especially the latter, testaceous, slightly varied with brown. Length 3 lines.
C. nigrinus, from Tasmania, is, I believe, the only species of this widely diffused genus hitherto described from the Australian province.
Cylidrus alcyoneus.
C. cyaneus; capite chalybeo-atro; femoribus testaceis; antennis nigris, basi palpisque fulvis.
Hab. New Guinea (Dorey).
Rather narrower than C. cyaneus, Fab., and very glossy; head bluish-
black, finely punctured; prothorax metallic green, sometimes blue, slightly corrugated at the side, coarsely punctured at the anterior margin; elytra rich indigo-blue, with a few scattered pale yellowish hairs; antennæ black, the four basal joints and palpi fulvous; legs testaceous, tibiæ and tarsi varied with brown; abdomen, and sometimes the metasternum, brownish-testaceous. Length 5 lines.
ELEALE [Cleridæ].
Newman, The Entom. p. 36.
Eleale sellata.
E. chalybeo-viridis; prothorace pedibusque nigro-æneis; elytris angustis, singula plaga magna elongata, antennisque flavis.
Hab. Moreton Bay.
Rather narrow and subdepressed, covered with long black setose hairs; head with numerous shallow punctures, dark bluish-green; prothorax transversely corrugated, brassy-black; scutellum covered with white hairs; elytra rather elongate, a little contracted posteriorly, closely and deeply punctured in nearly regular lines at the base, more dispersed towards the apex, which has a slight fringe of greyish hairs, dark steel-blue, each with a long fulvous patch extending from the shoulder to about two-thirds of its length, but not meeting at the suture; legs brassy-black; antennæ yellow; eyes brown. Length 4 lines.
Eleale lepida.
E. aureo-viridis, modice elongata; elytris purpureo-atris, fasciis duabus, scutelloque fulvis.
Hab. Moreton Bay.
Moderately elongate; head and prothorax thickly punctured, deep golden-green; elytra slightly contracted in the middle, coarsely punctured, dark purple-black,—a broad band nearly in the middle, another at the apex, and the scutellum fulvous-yellow; legs brassy-black, the tibiæ more or less fulvous; eyes black; antennæ yellow; body beneath coppery, with long greyish hairs. Length 5 lines.
Eleale simulans.
E. aureo-viridis, breviuscula; elytris purpureo-atris fasciis duabus fulvis; scutello concolore.
Hab. Moreton Bay.
Closely resembles the last, but is smaller and proportionably shorter, the sides of the elytra parallel, the scutellum black, the eyes dark blue, the head and legs with a decided bluish tint, &. Length 3½ lines.
SCROBIGER [Cleridæ].
Spinola, Monog. de Clérites, i. p. 230.
Scrobiger albocinctus.
S. ater; prothorace subtilissime punctato; elytris fasciis duabus albis, una subobsoleta, altera, pone medio, obliqua.
Hab. Moreton Bay.
Nearly allied to S idoneus, Newm., but the eyes are smaller and less prominent, the prothorax more finely punctured, the anterior band on the elytra nearly obsolete and more median, and the posterior directly oblique, not curved. Length 5 lines.
CORMODES [Cleridæ].
Head rather short, broad in front. Eyes ovate, vertical, scarcely emarginate. Antennæ as long as the thorax, arising laterally in front of the eyes, 11-jointed, the first largest, the second shorter than the third, the last three forming a slender pointed club. Palpi with the terminal joint of the labial securiform, of the maxillary cylindrical. Labrum small, hairy. Prothorax subdepressed, rounded in front and at the sides, contracted posteriorly,—the pronotum confounded with the parapleura. Scutellum transverse. Elytra depressed, narrowed at the base, gradually expanding at the sides, with a strongly marked carina at the shoulder, but no humeral angle. Wings none. Legs stout, femora clavate, tibiæ and tarsi short, the first tarsal joint nearly covered above by the second; claws simple. Abdomen of five segments.
Although very dissimmilar in habit to the Cleridæ in general, there is no doubt that this genus is closely allied to Natalis. It is, I believe, the only one of its family without wings,—a condition due, as Mr. Darwin tells us, in reference to other insular apterous Coleoptera, to "the action of natural selection, but combined probably with disuse," and therefore it would not, perhaps, be very difficult for the advocates of his theory to suppose Cormodes a descendant of Natalis, to which it certainly bears a very peculiar resemblance. The absence of a real humeral angle, but its simulation by an elevated and narrow carina (absent in all other Cleridæ), and the, in other respects, well-developed elytra, do not appear to lead to the conclusion of the gradual reduction of the wings which such an explanation implies, because corresponding with this presumed reduction we have an unaccountable and apparently unnecessary increase of the elytra, combined, however, with the absorption of the humeral angle. I possess a Longicorn, closely allied to Mr. Wollastons oceanic genus Deucalion, also without humeral angles, but having perfect, although excessively small, wings, and of course entirely useless for the purpose of flight; but in this case the wings might at any time
disappear from physical causes alone, just as we find certain species of Hemiptera becoming apterous in cold localities or in very cold seasons. In these and other instances of abnormal variation, which in almost every case seem to have some speciality of their own, we look in vain for the "advantage" which is supposed to have been acquired in the "struggle for life." An insect so suggestive of Mr. Darwins theory should appropriately bear his name.
Cormodes Darwinii. (Pl. II. fig. 8.)
C. testaceo-brunneus, fere piceus, hirtis sparsis indutus; prothoracis medio sulcato; elytris pallidioribus, seriatim punctatis.
Hab. Lord Howes Island, South Pacific
Pale testaceous-brown inclining to pitchy, particularly on the prothorax and base of the elytra, and everywhere but very sparingly covered with loose greyish hairs; head punctured in front; prothorax with a short deep longitudinal impression in the centre; elytra rather wider than the base of the prothorax, with a strong basal carina, which gradually disappears at rather beyond half their length, the shoulder with another strong carina which is continued nearly to the apex, the side beneath the outer carina bent inwards at the shoulder, coarsely and regularly punctured, the punctures becoming smaller posteriorly; mandibles pitchy; eyes brown. Length 7 lines. British Museum.
AULICUS [Cleridæ].
Spinola, Rev. Zool. 1841, p. 74.
Aulicus viridissimus.
A. subangustus, chalybeo-viridis, nitidus; antennis fusco-luteis; pedibus atro-cyaneis, gracillimis.
Hab. Australia (Sydney).
Rather narrow, dark chalybeate green, shining, with sparse, long, black, setose hairs; head and prothorax coarsely punctured, the latter with a deep transverse groove anteriorly, and a longitudinal one in the centre; elytra about two and a half times longer than broad, thickly and coarsely punctured in rows; legs (especially the posterior pair) slender, dark blue; body beneath shining greenish-blue. Length 3 lines.
Aulicus lemoides.
A. latior, aureo-viridis, nitidus; capite prothoraceque cupreis; antennis flavis; pedibus piceis, femoribus basi apiceque testaceis.
Hab. Australia (Moreton Bay and Sydney).
Rather broad, golden-green, shining, with numerous pale greyish setose hairs; head and prothorax rich copper-red, sparingly and rather less coarsely punctured, the latter with the transverse impression nearer the anterior border, and with the longitudinal one rather less deep than in the last; elytra only twice as long as broad, coarsely punctured in
rows; antennæ, palpi, mouth, and throat pale yellow; legs pitchy, stout, femora at the base and apex (or legs altogether) testaceous; body beneath green, more or less covered with greyish hairs. Length 3 lines.
Aulicus instabilis, Newm., the type of the genus, is such a variable insect, that it is quite possible this may be but one of its protean forms; nevertheless, besides its smaller size, it is more convex, the prothorax narrower and less depressed, its greatest breadth being behind the middle, and the posterior and anterior margins being nearly equal; its head is also shorter, the eyes proportionally larger, and the antennæ longer; moreover I have never seen any specimen of A. instabilis approaching this in colour.
ALLELIDEA [Cleridæ].
Waterhouse, Trans. Ent. Soc. vol. ii. p. 193.
Allelidea brevipennis. (Pl. II. fig. 9.)
A. elongate, atra, nitida; elytris brevibus, fasciis duabus antennisque (apice excepta) albidis; tibiis flavis.
Hab. Australia (Melbourne).
Very slender, elongate, deep glossy black; the prothorax moderately, the elytra strongly punctured, the latter very short, not exceeding half the length of the abdomen, the base and band at the apex a pale yellowish-white; antennæ white, except the three apical joints; tarsi yellow. Length 2 lines. British Museum.
LEMIDIA [Cleridæ].
Spinola, Rev. Zool. 1841, p. 75.
Lemidia carissima.
L. fulvo-testacea, nitida; elytris læte-viridibus, humeris, fascia media apiceque aurantiacis; tibiis tarsisque posticis nigris.
Hab. Australia (Melbourne).
Shining reddish-testaceous; elytra bright green, shoulders, band across the middle, and apex rich orange-red; eyes, tibiæ and tarsi black; throat, meso- and metathorax, and patch on the abdomen brassy-black. Length 3 lines.
Lemidia insolata.
L. pallide fulva, breviter setosa; prothorace nitido; elytris striato-punctatis, dense tomentosis; oculis apiceque mandibularum nigris.
Hab. Macassar.
Pale tawny, covered with short, erect, setose hairs; head and prothorax glossy; scutellum and elytra with a dense opake pale tomentum, the latter regularly and finely punctured; eyes and tips of the mandibles black. Length 5 lines.
TENERUS [Cleridæ].
Laporte de Castelnau, Silberm. Rev. Entom. iv. p. 43.
Tenerus telephoroides.
T. subangustatus, ater, nitidus; prothorace, articulo basali antennarum, labro, tibiisque flavis.
Hab. Australia (Moreton Bay).
Rather narrow and depressed, black, shining, finely punctured, covered with short setulose hairs; head scarcely as broad as the prothorax, black; oral organs and palpi yellow, except the tips of the mandibles, which are black; prothorax reddish-yellow, the anterior border black, three mammillated prominences on the disc, placed transversely; scutellum small, black; elytra deep black, shoulders rather prominent; femora and tarsi black, coxæ and tibiæ yellow; antennæ black, the basal joint yellow; body beneath black, shining, except the prothorax, which is yellow. Length 3 lines.
The joints of the antennæ are strongly produced on one side, as in the majority of the species of this genus, beginning from the third. I have only seen a single specimen, which is in my own collection.
CHORESINE [Cleridæ].
Head small, transversely triangular in front, slightly exserted behind. Eyes rounded, prominent, entire. Antennæ 11-jointed, linear, not half the length of the body, arising in front of the eyes; the first joint twice as long as the second, which is only a little shorter than the third, the fourth and fifth slightly longer, the rest subequal. Labrum transverse, entire. Mandibles strongly curved, bidentate at the apex. Palpi clavi-form, the joints very short and transverse, the maxillary much larger than the labial. Maxillæ rounded, two-lobed. Labium obovate. Prothorax subquadrate, constricted posteriorly before the base; pronotum distinct from the parapleuræ. Scutellum small, triangular. Elytra convex, nearly hemispherical, advancing at their insertion on the base of the prothorax. Legs slender; first joint of the anterior tarsi nearly covered by the second above; the middle and posterior tarsi with all the joints free, the three intermediate of all furnished with lamellæ. Abdomen slender, of six ? segments.
The habit of this very remarkable insect approaches in some respects the Melyrideous genus Chalcas; the structure of the tarsi, however, is that of a Clerid, and although a very isolated form, I see no difficulty in placing it in the subfamily Enopliinæ.
Choresine advena. (PI. II. fig. 2.)
C. flava; elytris cyaneis; oculis pectoreque nigris. Hab. Moluccas (Batchian).
Head and prothorax pure yellow; scutellum and elytra dark indigo-
VOL. I. E
blue, covered with a sparse pale greyish pubescence; eyes and meso-sternum black; rest of the body beneath, eyes and antennæ pale yellow. Length 2 lines.
DOLIEMA [Tenebrionidæ].
Head short, transverse. Eyes lateral, contiguous to the prothorax, partially divided by the antennary orbit, larger below than above. Labrum small, rounded in front. Mandibles thin, triangular, bidentate at the apex. Antennæ short, perfoliate, moniliform, and gradually increasing in thickness from the fourth joint to the seventh or eighth. Mentum subquadrate. Labium small, entire; labial palpi stout, clavate, the maxillary with its terminal joint subsecuriform. Maxillæ two-lobed, the lobes ciliated (the inner armed*?). Prothorax depressed, contracted behind, broadly emarginate in front, its anterior angles rounded. Elytra very depressed, parallel, abruptly bent down at the sides; the epipleural plait narrow, terminating before reaching the apex. Legs short; coxæ distant; tibiæ spurred, the anterior serrated externally; tarsi slender, the first joint of the posterior as long as the last. Pro- and mesosterna broad and flat, the former rounded posteriorly, and received into a slight emargination of the mesosternum.
A remarkable genus, which might readily be taken for a Platisus, but which is very closely allied to, if not identical with, Mr. Wollastons Adelina. As, however, the characters of his genus were drawn up from an insect which he suspects may not be con-generic with certain representatives in the British Museum of M. Chevrolats original, but unpublished Adelina (but which unquestionably includes the species now to be described), and his detailed description differs in several, although somewhat secondary points, from that given above, and he has taken no notice of the peculiar elytra, I have thought it better to consider my species the type of another group; and I do so with less hesitation, as the name of Adelina has been long preoccupied by a genus of Gasteropods. Doliema, thus restricted, has a remarkable range, D. platisoides occurring in Ceylon, Manilla, and the Moluccas, while a closely-allied species, differing in nothing apparently but in having a somewhat broader head, is found in the valley of the Amazons.
Doliema platisoides. (PI. III. fig. 8.)
D. pallide ferruginea, nitida; capite modice transverao; prothorace postice bifoveolato.
Hab. Moluccas (Batchian); Ceylon; Manilla.
Extremely depressed, pale rusty testaceous, shining, and very mi
* With a high power of the microscope, I cannot satisfactorily determine whether the inner lobe of the maxillaæ be armed or not.
nutely punctured; disc of the prothorax slightly concave, with two large foveæ at the base; scutellum subquadrate; elytra punctured, principally in rows of about six on each; eyes dark brown. Length 2½ lines.
EURYPUS [Tenebrionidæ?].
Kirby, Trans. Linn. Soc. vol. xii. p. 389.
Eurypus cupripennis.
E. subangustus, subtilissime punctatus, cæruleo-chalybeatus, nitidus; elytris cupreis.
Hab. Brazil (Para).
Head rounded, pitchy, finely punctured; eyes and antennæ black; prothorax narrower than the head or elytra, steel-blue, finely punctured, a deep transverse impression posteriorly; elytra elongate, gradually widening behind, rich coppery-red, minutely punctured; legs small, pitchy; body beneath steel-blue. Length 5 lines.
Stilpnonotus eurypiformis (named, but not described, by Mr. G. R. Gray in the English edition of the ‘ Règne Animal’) appears to me to be referable to Mr. Kirbys Eurypus, a genus not alluded to by M. Lacordaire in his great work. Mr. Kirbys species, E. rubens, from the figure, seems to be a much broader insect than the present, which it is not impossible may be identical with Oliviers Tenebrio nitens. The pronotum is confounded with the parapleuræ, and the anterior coxæ are contiguous and greatly exserted, two characters which do not accord well with the Tenebrionidæ: the possession of antennary orbits forbids its association with Lagriidæ. In habit it is slightly assimilated to Camaria.
(EDEMUTES [Helopidæ].
Head transversely subquadrate; epistome large, deeply inserted in front. Labrum short, transverse, broadly emarginate. Eyes rather broad, sub-lunate. Last joint of the labial palpi securiform, of the maxillary narrowly triangular. Antennæ very short, clavate, 11-jointed, the first joint nearly concealed by the antennary orbit, the second short, third longest, the rest gradually increasing in breadth to the seventh, which, with the remainder, forms a sort of club. Prothorax transverse, slightly convex, carinated at its sides, the base closely applied to the elytra. Scutellum small. Elytra ovate, very convex. Legs rather short; anterior femora strongly toothed; tibiæ slightly curved; tarsi very short, the last joint longer than the rest together. Prosternum received in a notch of the mesosternum.
Very near Sphœrotus, from which it differs in the antennæ and legs, especially in the profemora toothed as in Enoplopus, and in
E 2
the form of the prosternum and its contiguity to the mesosternum. My specimen is the only one I have seen, and was obtained from a small collection sent to this country by Mr. Thwaites, the Superintendent of the Botanic Garden at Peradenia.
(Edemutes tumidus. (Pl. II. fig. 4.)
œ. æneus; capite prothoraceque modice punctatis; elytris elevatis, punctato-sulcatis.
Hab. Ceylon.
Brassy-brown; head and prothorax irregularly, but not closely punctured; elytra very gibbous, as if inflated, each with about seven rows of strongly sulcated punctures; body beneath paler and less brassy. Length 4 lines.
CAMARIA [Helopidæ].
Encycl. Méthodique, Ins. vol. x. p. 454.
Camaria spectabilis.
C. viridi-ænea, subiridescens; elytris punctato-striatis, interstitiis cupreo-vittatis, apice obtusis; tarsis chalybeatis; corpore infra viridi-aureo.
Hab. North China.
Brassy-green, somewhat iridescent; head and prothorax finely punctured, the former with a semicircular impression above the epistome (common apparently to the genus); scutellum small, rounded posteriorly, chalybeate blue; elytra very convex, punctate-striate, punctures minute, the interstices in certain lights showing a stripe of rich copperred, the apex obtuse; femora and tibiæ finely punctured, varied with blue, purple, and gold; tarsi dark blue; labrum, palpi, antennæ, and eyes black; body beneath rich golden-green. Length 12 lines (♂), 14 lines (♀).
ELACATIS [Melandryidæ].
Head broadly triangular, as wide as the prothorax. Eyes distinct, large, ovate, contiguous to the prothorax. Antennæ arising from beneath a narrow orbit, eleven-jointed, the two basal joints thick, the second shortest, the third to the eighth subequal, slender, the last three forming a short ovate club. Labrum small, rounded anteriorly. Mandibles short, with a single tooth in the middle. Palpi robust, claviform. Maxillæ with two ciliated lobes. Labium small, subcordate. Mentum transverse. Prothorax subquadrate, posterior angle emarginate, the parapleuræ distinct. Elytra as broad as the thorax, tapering posteriorly, the epipleural plait very narrow. Legs short; anterior coxæ conical, contiguous, their acetabula closed behind, the intermediate subapproximate, oblique, furnished with trochanters, the posterior transverse; tibiæ spurred; tarsi very slender, the first joint long, the penultimate entire; claws simple. Mesosternum narrow, truncate behind.
I have not placed this genus among the Melandryidæ without hesitation, on account of its antennary orbits, and its acetabula closed behind; on the other hand, its parapleuræ, distinct from the pronotum, make its location in any other family still more difficult. Except the comparative shortness of the maxillary palpi, it agrees with the Melandryidæ in most of the characters given by M. Lacordaire, according also in form with some of its genera, without, however, being related to any of them. Like Tetratoma, it has the antennæ terminating in a club, but only composed of three joints. In the drawing the maxillary lobes are much too large, compared to their palpus.
Elacatis delusa. (Pl. II. fig. 5.)
E. griseo-testacea, punctulata; elytris fasciis tribus dentatis, maculaque basali nigris.
Hab. Borneo (Sarawak); New Guinea (Dorey).
Greyish-testaceous, finely punctured, a short setulose hair arising from each puncture; prothorax with three or four very minute teeth at the side, and a shallow transverse impression near the base; scutellum long and narrow; elytra with three black, toothed bands, the first often interrupted or replaced by a few spots; a patch of the same colour, also sometimes broken up into spots, at the base near the scutellum; antennæ and legs testaceous-yellow, more or less clouded with brown; body beneath ferruginous, slightly tomentose. Length 1½–2 lines.
My New Guinea specimen agrees perfectly well with those from Borneo; but they all vary a little in colour, some being darker than others, and the black band and scutellar patch being more or less interrupted. A second species, and a much finer one, from the Moluccas, is in the collection of W. W. Saunders, Esq.
BIOPHIDA [Melandryidæ?].
Head moderately long, tumid in front, suddenly contracted behind into a narrow neck. Eyes distant, lateral, reniform. Antennæ arising close to the eye, filiform, half as long as the body, 11-jointed; the second very short, the rest subequal. Labrum transverse, inserted below the line of the front. Labial palpi filiform; the maxillary elongate, with the last joint narrowly securiform. Prothorax depressed, semicircular, as wide as the elytra behind, its parapleuræ distinct. Elytra depressed, rather broader behind. Legs moderate; anterior and middle coxæ contiguous, the former conical and elongate; tibiæ spurred; tarsi slender, the first joint of the four posterior as long or longer than the rest together, the penultimate bilobed; claws undivided, strongly toothed beneath.
This is another of those puzzling genera, of which there are so
many among the Heteromera; in its habit it resembles Scraptia; but as the more important characters are those of Melandryidæ, and that family is also one which contains several anomalous forms, it seems less objectionable to place it in that group than in any other.
Biophida unicolor. (Pl. III. fig. 4.)
B. fulvo-testacea, pube pallidiori vestita; prothorace bifoveolato; oculis fere concoloribus.
Hab. Natal.
Entirely of a light-brownish testaceous colour, rather closely covered with short stiffish paler hairs; a large fovea on each side of the prothorax near the posterior angle; scutellum transverse, rounded behind; eyes a little darker. Length 4 lines.
ISCHALIA [Pedilidæ?].
Head small, contracted behind, and narrowed anteriorly below the eyes. Antennæ shorter than the body, linear, 11-jointed; second joint smallest, the rest subequal. Eyes reniform. Epistome and labrum large, covering the mandibles. Maxillary palpi robust, the last joint securiform; labial much shorter, terminating in a broad triangular joint. Maxillæ short, obtuse. Prothorax narrowed anteriorly, irregular above, its posterior angles produced, the epipleuræ confounded with the pronotum. Elytra broader than the prothorax, subparallel, bent at the side, and concave on the disc, the epipleural plait narrow. Legs moderate, anterior acetabula open behind; all the coxæ approximate, the anterior and intermediate conical; tibiæ unarmed; tarsi short, first joint longer than the rest together, the penultimate bilobed; claws simple.
I refer this genus doubtfully to Pedilidæ, notwithstanding that it agrees in two characters which M. Lacordaire considers of high importance, viz. the anterior acetabula largely open behind, and the complete contiguity of the posterior coxæ. The family, however, as it stands at present, is not a satisfactory one, and its learned proposer will probably see reasons for modifying it eventually.
Ischalia indigacea. (Pl. III. fig. 6.)
I. cyaneo-violacea; antennis pedibusque nigris, illis articulis tribus ultimis albis.
Hab. Borneo.
Deep violet-blue; head and prothorax very minutely punctured (scarcely visible under a strong lens), the latter more or less irregular; scutellum small, triangular; elytra coarsely punctured, rich violet-blue; antennæ black, with the last three joints white; legs black; body beneath black, with a slight bluish tinge on the breast. Length 3–4 lines.
The irregularity of the surface of the prothorax varies; in extreme
cases it has the appearance of being shrivelled up by desiccation. The structure of the palpi and maxillæ will be seen in the figures; the labium and mentum unfortunately disappeared in dissection.
MACRATRIA [Pedilidæ].
Newman, Entom. Mag. vol. v. p. 377.
Macratria mustela. (Pl. II. fig. 7.)
M. fusca; tarsis (basi excepta), palpis antennisque fulvescentibus, his apicem versus infuscatis; scutello parvo.
Hab. Natal.
Dark brown, sparingly covered with a pale golden-yellow pile; head and prothorax finely punctured, the latter with the sides posteriorly nearly parallel; scutellum small, subtriangular; elytra very thickly punctured*, with a larger series of punctures arranged in closely set rows, which are divergent at the base; antennæ and palpi tawny, the former, except three or four of the basal joints, gradually becoming darker; legs dark brown; the tarsi, except the basal joint of the posterior, yellowish. Length 3 lines.
Macratria fulvipes.
M. nigra; pedibus (tibiis posticis exceptis), palpis antennisque fulvis, his apicem versus infuscatis; scutello magno.
Hab. Macassar.
Black, very sparingly covered with a pale golden-yellow pile; head and prothorax rather coarsely punctured, the latter with the sides gradually but very slightly contracting posteriorly; scutellum large, sub-quadrate; elytra finely punctured, a larger series in rows as in the last species; legs (except the posterior tibiæ), palpi, and antennæ tawny-yellow, the latter with the three or four terminal joints darker. Length 2½ lines.
Macratria pallidicornis.
M. picea; antennis, palpis pedibusque (posticis exceptis) testaceis; capite fulvescenti.
Hab. Borneo.
Pitchy, very sparingly covered with a pale yellowish or greyish pile; head and prothorax slightly punctured, the latter somewhat ovate; scutellum indistinct; elytra punctured as in the last species, but with the pile more confined to the rows of punctures; antennæ, palpi, and four anterior legs pale testaceous; the posterior femora, except at the base, tibiæ at the base and apex, and basal joints of the tarsi, dark brown or nearly black; head tawny-yellow. Length 2¼ lines.
* It is rather the appearance of punctures caused by minute transverse wrinkles.
Macratria fumosa.
M. rufo-brunnea; pedibus (posticis exceptis), palpis antennisque fulvis, his apicem versus infuscatis; capite pedibusque posticis nigris.
Hab. India (Dacca).
Light reddish-brown, with a pale greyish pile; head and prothorax very finely punctured, the latter rather broad and somewhat ovate; soutellum subtransverse; elytra punctured, &., as in the preceding; legs (except the posterior pair), palpi, and antennæ fulvous, the latter with the last three joints dark brown; head and hind legs black, except the extremity of the tarsi, which are pale yellow. The claws in this species appear to be broadly toothed at their base. Length 2¼ lines.
Macratria subguttata.
M. atra, nitida, sparse albo-hirta; elytris, singulo maculis duabus, fere obsoletis, albis.
Hab. Moluccas (Batchian).
Glossy black, with much-dispersed whitish hairs; each elytron with two rather indistinct white or somewhat ashy spots, one a little before the middle, the other the same distance beyond it; antennæ, palpi, and mouth pale yellow, the former gradually deepening towards the apex into black; tarsi pale yellowish, except the first joint of the posterior pair. Length 3 lines.
EMYDODES [Lagriidæ].
Head very small, rounded behind the eyes, then contracting into a neck, which is nearly immersed in the prothorax. Eyes large, oblong, emarginate, transverse, and approximating both above and beneath. Labial palpi very small; maxillary elongate, the terminal joint ovate, pointed. Antennæ robust, shorter than the body, arising close to the eye, the first joint tumid, the second very short, the third to the tenth thick, triangular, with a bifid prolongation at the apex of each on one side, the eleventh elongate-ovate. Prothorax slightly transverse, rounded anteriorly, twice the breadth of the head, but much narrower at the base than the elytra, its parapleuræ confounded with the pronotum. Elytra depressed, with a subovate outline, the epipleura strongly bent in beneath. Legs robust; anterior coxæ large, approximate, shortly cylindrical; tibiæ not spurred, the four posterior thickened in the middle; tarsi short, the penultimate joint subbilobed; claws undivided, slightly toothed at the base.
A very curious genus, which, if rightly referred to Lagriidæ (and of this I have little doubt), differs entirely in the remarkable structure of the antennæ, in which it somewhat resembles the Pyrochroidæ. From my solitary specimen, I cannot make sure that the anterior acetabula are closed; they appear to be so, however. As far as I
can judge from the parts in situ, the mentum is subtriangular and the labium obcordate.
Emydodes collaris. (Pl. III. fig. 3.)
E, nigra, setoso-hirsuta; capite prothoraceque luteis.
Hab. Brazil (Para).
Black, covered with short stiff hairs; head dull reddish-yellow; prothorax thickly punctured, clear reddish-yellow; elytra coarsely punctured, each in ten rows; tibiæ with long stiff hairs. Length 3 lines.
IODEMA [Cantharidæ].
Head shortly triangular. Eyes round, prominent, entire. Labrum small, rounded anteriorly. Palpi slender; terminal joint of the labial ovate, of the maxillary subcylindrical. Antennæ short, linear, the joints slightly obconic. Prothorax transverse, narrowed in front. Elytra subdepressed, wider behind; the sides somewhat concave. Legs slender; tibiæ bicalcarate; penultimate joints of all the tarsi small, triangular.
Differs from Cantharis, with which only it is likely to be confounded, in the short penultimate joint of its tarsi: the claws appear to be undivided, from the close application of their two divisions.
Iodema Clarkii. (Pl. III. fig. 1.)
I. atra, nitida; elytris violaceis; tarsorum posticorum articulo primo albido.
Hab. Brazil (Organ Mountains).
Head and prothorax deep glossy black, sparingly punctured, especially the latter; scutellum narrowly triangular; elytra dark violet-blue, thickly and irregularly punctured; body beneath and eyes black; base of the first joint of the posterior tarsi whitish; spurs of the middle tibiæ, and all the claws, except at their apices, yellow. Length 4 lines.
I am indebted for my specimen to the Rev. Hamlet Clark, who took several individuals at Constancia, in the Organ Mountains.
ZONITIS [Cantharidæ].
Fabricius, Syst. Entom. p. 126.
Zonitis cyanipennis. (Pl. III. fig. 5.)
Z. angustus, glaber, ater; prothorace, scutello, femoribusque (apice excepta) luteis; elytris cyaneis, nitidis.
Hab. Australia (Melbourne).
Narrow, glabrous, shining; head black, very narrow, and produced anteriorly; prothorax reddish-yellow, much longer than broad; scutellum dull yellowish; elytra narrow, parallel, rather convex, dark
indigo-blue; legs black, with the coxæ and femora (except at the apex) yellow; meso- and metasterna, abdomen, and antennæ black. Length 6 lines.
This has scarcely the habit of any European Zonitis, and still less of some depressed Australian species, of which the Z. dichroa of Germar may probably be taken as the type.
ECELONERUS [Anthribidæ].
Schönherr, Gen. et Spec. Curcul. tom. v. p. 163 (Supplem.).
Ecelonerus albopictus. (Pl. II. fig. 3.)
E. subcylindricus, fuscus nigroque varius, fascia dentata antica et punctis tribus discoideis prothoracis, lunulis duabus magnis inaculariformibus, apiceque elytrorum albis.
Hab. Australia (Moreton Bay).
Subcylindrical, pitchy, with a short dark-brown tomentum mixed with black, and blotched with pure white; head shortly ovate, brown, slightly spotted with white; prothorax subrotund, very convex, thickly punctured, dark brown, with an irregular, toothed, white, band-like mark on its anterior margin; scutellum very small, white; elytra punctato-striate, the alternate interstices raised and spotted with black, a large white lunate patch, more or less spotted with brown, extending longitudinally on the middle of each elytron, with its convexity towards the suture, and extending externally to its margin, the apex also with a white patch of the same character; antennæ pitchy-brown, slightly hairy; legs brown, annulated with white; body beneath dull cinereous, the three middle abdominal segments having on each side an impressed hairy spot; mesosternum three-lobed posteriorly. Length 6 lines.
With this fine species of Ecelonerus I also obtained a specimen of Dipieza Waterhousei, Pasc., hitherto only known from Aru, unless indeed (as I have elsewhere suggested as regards the genus) the OElig;decerus* bipunctatus of M. Montrouzier, from Woodlark Island, should be identical, in which case it will probably be found to be very generally distributed in those regions.
The subjoined is a list of the Australasian Anthribidæ, so far, I believe, as they have been described:—
Ecelonerus subfasciatus, Hope. Sydney, Melbourne, Moreton Bay.
—— insularis, Hope. Melbourne.
—— albopictus, Pasc. Moreton Bay.
Cratoparis callosus, Schön. (mihi invisus).
* There is a genus of Galerucinæ bearing this name (although incorrectly written œdicerus) in Hugels 'Reise durch Kaschmir,' 1842, p. 556.
Anthribus bispinus, Erich. Tasmania.
Basitropis peregrinus, Pasc. Port Essington.
—— ingratus, Pasc. Port Essington.
—— solitarius, Pasc. Moreton Bay.
Tropideres musivus, Erich. Tasmania.
—— albuginosus, Erich. Tasmania.
Aræcerus sambucinus, MacLeay.
Ethneca Bakewellii, Pasc. Melbourne.
Genethila retusa, Pasc. Moreton Bay.
Ancylotropis Waterhousei, Jekel. Moreton Bay.
Dipieza Waterhousei, Pasc. Moreton Bay.
DYSNOS [Anthribidæ].
Pascoe, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 3. vol. iv. p. 438.
Dysnos semiaureus.
D. breviter ovatus, fusco-tomentosus, obscure aureo-varius; prothorace corpore non latiore; articulis duobus basalibus tarsorum nigris.
Hab. Moluccas (Batchian).
Shortly ovate or inclining to cylindrical, with an opake brownish-black tomentum, varied on the elytra with pale longitudinal patches of pale golden hairs; prothorax not wider than the elytra; first two joints of the antennæ and the legs ferruginous, the tarsi with the two basal joints black. Length 1½ line.
Smaller and proportionally shorter than D. auricomus, with the prothorax nowhere wider than the elytra. In my specimen, the subulate process terminating the last joint of the antennæ is absent, a character which may probably turn out to be sexual only.
HABRISSUS [Anthribidæ].
Pascoe, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 3. vol. iv. p. 432.
Habrissus omadioides.
H. angusto-ovatus, fusco-tomentosus griseo-varius; tibiis tarsisque annulatis.
Hab. Singapore.
Narrowly ovate, with a tawny yellowish tomentum varied with dark brown; head tawny, with a longitudinal ridge between the eyes, and one on each side beneath them, not extending to the end of the rostrum; about five elongate indefinite marks on the prothorax; elytra striato-punctate, a large dark brown patch at the base and another in the middle common to both elytra, the alternate interstices also spotted with brown, particularly at the sides; legs very distinctly annulated with clear brown and tawny; body beneath greyish, inclining to ashy. Length 3 lines.
MISTHOSIMA [Anthribidæ].
Pascoe, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 3. vol. iv. p. 434.
Misthosima lata.
M. late ovata, fusca griseo-varia; pedibus brunneis, tibiis, apice, tarsisque (basi excepta) nigris.
Hab. Moluccas (Batchian).
Broadly ovate and very slightly depressed, pubescent, dark brown varied with a few spots of grey, principally on the elytra, the striæ have also a line of grey hairs in each; antennæ about two-thirds the length of the body, ferruginous, the club nearly black; legs pale brown, the tibiæ, at the apex, and tarsi, except at the base of the first joint, black. Length 2½ lines.
NESSIARA [Anthribidæ].
Pascoe (Nessia), in Annals and Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 3. vol. iv. p. 329; non Nessia, J. E. Gray.
Nessiara planata. (Pl. II. fig. 1.)
N. hirta, fusca, griseo-varia; elytris deplanatis, retusis, singulo postice bituberculatis.
Hab. Moluccas (Batchian).
Clothed with short appressed dark brown hairs varied with grey, which are more or less ashy; head entirely grey, the rostrum with a central carina, and a shorter one on each side below the eye; prothorax with the sides dark brown spotted with grey, the disc with a central subtriangular ashy spot which is abruptly narrowed behind; scutellum ashy; elytra punctato-striate, rather broad, flatly depressed, suddenly bent down near the apex, the outer posterior angle of each bituberculate, the depressed portion dark ashy, the sides dark brown, the alternate interstices with black and pale yellowish-grey spots; body beneath yellowish-brown; legs annulated with dull brown and pale grey; eyes pale brown, somewhat lustrous. Length 5 lines.
I have elsewhere mentioned my suspicions that this genus is synonymous with Dendropemon Schön., and M. Jekel is inclined to take the same view of it; as, however, the name was previously used by Perty, or what will be considered to amount to the same thing—for his orthography was Dendropœmon—another name must be adopted, and Nessia having been applied to a group of Saurians, I have thought a modification of it to Nessiara will be attended with the least inconvenience. Stenocerus platipennis! Montrou., is evidently nearly allied to the species just described, and his three other Stenoceri probably belong likewise to this genus. S. Garnotii, Guér., and the insect figured in the Voyage de la Bonite, Coleop. pl. ii.
fig. 21, under the name of Stenocere Damier, are doubtless also Nes-siaroe. Nessiara centralis, Pasc., is found in the Moluccas, as well as in Borneo.
BASITROPIS [Anthribidæ].
Jekel, Ins. Saundersiana, p. 90.
Basitropis solitarius.
B. elongato-subcylindricus, fusco-tomentosus; capite prothoraceque ob-scure griseo-variis; elytris striato-punctatis, interstitiis alternis elevatis, irregulariter albo-maculatis.
Hab. Moreton Bay.
Elongate, subcylindrical, with a short dark brown tomentum, slightly varied with greyish-white; head shortly ovate, eyes rather large; prothorax a little longer than wide, varied anteriorly and at the sides with greyish; scutellum minute; elytra punctate-striate, the alternate interstices raised and spotted with white, the spots a little before, as well as behind the middle, elongate, forming an indistinct, oblique, band-like mark; antennæ dark brown; legs paler, varied with greyish; body beneath greyish-brown. Length 3 lines.
This species, together with B. peregrinus and B. ingratus from Port Essington, described by me in a recent number of the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History’ (Dec. 1859, pp. 432, 433), &., differ from B. nitidicutis, Jekel, the type of the genus, in their nar-rower and more elongate form, and their brown, not ashy, colour.
DINORHOPALA [Curculionidæ].
Head small, abruptly contracted below the eyes into a short rostrum. Eyes large, round, prominent. Antennæ short, straight, arising close to the eyes in a cavity formed between them and a short thick process, twelve-jointed, the first subpyriform, elongate, the second shorter, sub-cylindrical, the third to the eighth slender, gradually diminishing in length, the last four forming an ovate compact club. Prothorax sub-triangular, lobed at the base, narrow anteriorly, irregular above. Elytra large, much wider than the prothorax at the base, very irregular and spinous. Anterior and intermediate legs moderate, the femora clavate and unidentate beneath, each tibia with a single curved spur; the posterior longer, their femora slender at the base, abruptly clavate at the apex, and armed with a strong tooth, their tibiæ strongly compressed and curved; the tarsi of all short, the penultimate joints broadly lobed; claws toothed beneath; anterior coxæ approximate, intermediate and posterior widely apart. Meso- and metasterna very large.
The affinity of this genus is no doubt with Tachygonus, and judging from its posterior legs, it is probably also saltatorial. As the import-
ance of the geniculation of the antennæ is now only recognized as a secondary character, I think M. Jekel* has done good service in referring all the groups of Schönherrs Orthocerati, after eliminating those which evidently belonged to the true Curculionidæ, to four families. Tachygonus is one of the genera so removed, and this M. Jekel seems inclined to place near Ceutorhynchus.
Dinorhopala spinosa. (Pl. III. fig. 2.)
D. atra, subnitida; rostro, antennis, pedibusque (clava tibiisque posticis exceptis) fulvescentibus.
Hab. Burmah (Rangoon).
Glossy black; rostrum, throat, antennæ, the four anterior legs, bases of the posterior femora and tarsi brownish-yellow. Length 2½ lines.
The figure, which is in no degree exaggerated, will give a better idea of this singular little insect than the most lengthened description. It was taken, with other very interesting species, by an English officer at the time of our recent occupation of Rangoon.
ORTHOSTOMA [Cerambycidæ].
Serville, Ann. de la Soc. Ent. de France, t. iii. p. 61.
Orthostoma cyanea.
O. læte-cærulea; thorace luteo; antennarum articulis tribus ultimas albis. Hab. Brazil (Para).
Bright cobalt blue; head thickly punctured; eyes dark brown; prothorax reddish-yellow, finely punctured; scutellum subquadrate; elytra minutely granulated, sparingly clothed with short stiff black hairs; a few scattered hairs on the legs and antennæ; antennæ somewhat longer than the body, the last three joints white; jugulum, prosternum, and anterior coxæ yellow; abdomen glossy greenish-blue. Length 8 lines.
OSTEDES [Lamiidæ].
Pascoe, Trans. Ent. Soc. n. s. vol. v. p. 43.
Ostedes spinosula.
O. grisescens, fusco-variegate; prothorace trituberculato, lateribus muticis; elytris basin versus spinosis, spina incurva.
Hab. New Guinea (Dorey); Moluccas (Batchian).
Finely pubescent, greyish varied with brown; head small, deeply sulcated in front; prothorax a little longer than wide, the sides unarmed, the disc with two broadly depressed tubercles towards the anterior margin; scutellum scarcely transverse, rounded behind; elytra rather narrow, the basal half sparingly punctured, a prominent, strongly
* Insecta Saundersiana, pt. ii. pp. 156, 157.
recurved spine on each towards, but at some distance from the base, the sides with three or four brown patches, the outer apical angle produced; legs dark brown, the basal portions of the femora and tibiæ reddish-testaceous; antennæ longer than the body, slightly setose, reddish-brown, the apices of the intermediate joints black; body beneath reddish-brown. Length 5 lines.
From the slender and elongated tarsi, particularly the posterior, I should be inclined to refer this genus to the neighbourhood of œdopeza, rather than to Monohammus, where formerly I had doubtfully placed it. Except the slightest possible variation in the patches on the elytra, there appears to be no difference between the Batchian and Dory insects.
ASTATHES [Lamiidæ].
Newman, The Entom. p. 299.
Astathes caloptera.
A. atra, nitida, breviter setosa; elytris læte cyaneo-violaceis; antennis testaceis, apicem versus infuscatis.
Hab. Borneo.
Ovate, sparingly clothed with short setose hairs; head and prothorax shining black with a slight copper tinge, and a few scattered punctures; scutellum very transverse, black; elytra deep bluish-violet, very bright and glossy, and in certain lights having a strong purple tinge, their disc somewhat concave, and each having two abbreviated costæ antennæ pale testaceous-yellow, the apex dark brown; body beneath and legs black, the last abdominal segment obscurely testaceous. Length 5 lines.
A most beautiful species, approaching my A. purpurea, but perfectly distinct. It was found in Borneo by Lient. De Crespigny; and does not occur, I believe, in Mr. Wallaces collections.
EURYPTERA [Lepturidæ].
(Encycl.) Serville, Ann. de la Soc. Ent. de France, t. iv. p. 222.
Euryptera albicollis.
E. nigra; prothorace, humeris, femoribusque subtus albis.
Hab. Brazil (Para).
Opake brownish-black, finely punctured; head narrowly elongate, the sides whitish, front between the eyes darker; epistome, labrum and palpi glossy black; prothorax white, with a yellowish tinge, a blackish spot on its anterior border; scutellum triangular, black; elytra nearly parallel, black, with a fine, scattered, greyish pubescence, which gives them a dull tinge, the shoulder with a triangular whitish spot, the apex truncate, its outer angle sharply spined; femora beneath, coxæ, and
base of the first joint of the intermediate tarsi whitish; antennæ with the bases of all the joints, except the first two, white; breast and throat white, rest of the body beneath smoky-black. Length 8 lines.
TRIPLATOMA [Erotylidæ].
(Westw.) Lacordaire, Monog. des Erotyliens, p. 44.
Triplatoma Sheppardi.
T. elongato-ovata, subtilissime punctata, nigro-ænea; elytris singulis maculis duabus luteis; pedibus ferrugineis, genubus tarsisque infuscatis.
Hab. Moluccas (Batchian).
Elongate-ovate, rather narrow, dark brassy-black, and very minutely punctured above; elytra very convex, truncate at the apex, each with a round yellow spot near the shoulder, and another towards, but at some distance from, the apex (sometimes two similar spots on the prothorax anteriorly); legs glossy ferruginous, femora at the apex and tarsi dark brown or nearly black; body beneath smooth, brownish, with a slight brassy tinge. Length 11 lines.
I have dedicated this fine and, I believe, hitherto undescribed species to Edward Sheppard, Esq., F.L.S. &., of Notting Hill, the possessor of an extensive collection of Erotylidæ.
EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES.
PLATE II.
Fig. 1. Nessiara planata. Moluccas.
Fig. 2. Choresine advena. Moluccas.
Fig. 3. Ecelonerus albopictus. Moreton Bay.
Fig. 4. œdemutes tumidus. Ceylon.
Fig. 5. Elacatis delusa. Borneo.
Fig. 6. Sostea Westwoodii. Borneo.
Fig. 7. Macratria mustela. Natal.
Fig. 8. Cormodes Darwinii. Lord Howes Island.
Fig. 9. Allelidea brevipennis. Melbourne.
PLATE III.
Fig. 1. Iodema Clarkii. Organ Mountains.
Fig. 2. Dinorhopala spinosa. Burmah.
Fig. 3. Emydodes collaris. Para.
Fig. 4. Biophida unicolor. Natal.
Fig. 5. Zonitis cyanipennis. Melbourne.
Fig. 6. Ischalia indigacea. Borneo.
Fig. 7. Byrsax cœnosus. Singapore.
Fig. 8. Doliema platisoides. Moluccas.
