CREAGROPHORUS. 83 
episterna very small, triangular ; epimera moderate, not enclosing the coxal cavities ; coxal cavities very 
large, open in front and behind.  Mesosternum large, deeply excavated in front; episterna large, 
humeral; epimeru moderate, very oblique, extending to the coxal cavities ; coxal cavities very 
large, extending far into the metasternum. Metasternum large, not reaching the sides of the body, 
produced into a small point between the posterior coxe ; episterna small and very short ; epimera long, 
reaching to the coxe. All the side-pieces of the mesosternum and metasternum are covered by the very 
broad epipleural fold of the elytra. Venter composed of five segments; the basal segment the longest, 
and elevated on each side into a long, subtriangular, smooth plate. Legs: anterior very short; 
tibie slightly dilated towards the apex, armed with a strong apical spur on the inner side, and a smaller 
one on the outside; tarsi very short, robust, and compressed, 4-jointed, 1, 2,3 deeply bifid, 4 longer, 
robust, the claws small and simple; intermediate very short and very robust; femora slightly hooked on 
the inner side of the apex; tibia very broad, subtriangular, excavated at the extremity, and produced. 
externally into a broad articulated tooth ; tarsi similar to the anterior ; posterior rather longer ; femora 
long, armed on the inner side at the apex, and sometimes towards the middle also, with long and very 
strong hooks in the males only; tibia moderate, armed with short spurs on each side of the apex; tarsi 
3-jointed, longer than the preceding, but similar in form. Coww: anterior very prominent and contingent ; 
intermediate not contingent, very large and prominent ; posterior not contingent, very large. 
This genus is allied to Cyrtusa and Isop/astus; from the latter it differs in its 
11-jointed antenne with their 5-jointed club, and from both in its 4-, 4-, 3-jointed tarsi, 
anterior coxal cavities open in front and behind, and in having only five ventral 
segments. It is much more closely allied to Scotocryptus, from which it differs only 
in the normal position of its eyes, its more simply formed 4-, 4-, 3-jointed tarsi, the 
deeply excised front of the pronotum, and in the anatomy of its mouth. The most 
striking characters of Creagrophorus are the extraordinary dilatation of the interme- 
diate tibie and the armature of the posterior femora; both of these characters do, 
indeed, exist in some other species of ‘ Anisotomina,’ but in none except Scotocryptus 
can be found the curious ventral plates which I have already described ; and since these 
two genera are in many ways so intimately connected with each other, it is not 
impossible that their life-habits may also be similar. 
1. Creagrophorus hamatus, sp. n. 
Suborbicularis, subcontractilis, piceus, nitidissimus ; capite sat magno, subtilissime alutaceo, ore atque clypeo 
dilutioribus ; oculis magnis, sat prominentibus ; pronoto parvo et brevi, quam caput latiore vix longiore, ad 
basin latissimo, subtilissime punctulato, lateribus flavescentibus, valde rotundatis et marginatis, margine 
basali leviter rotundata angulis obtusis ; elytris quam caput atque pronotum latioribus et longioribus, ultra 
media latissimis, distincte et irregulariter punctatis, interstitiis glabris, nitidis, stria suturali nulla, angulis 
subhumeralibus obtusis, lateribus valde rotundatis et late marginatis ; pedibus longis, robustis, rufo-piceis, 
intermediorum femoribus hamo valido, acutissimo, intus ad apices armatis; tibiis leviter incurvatis, ad 
apices valde dilatatis, externe spinosis, atque in dentem permagnum, latum, acutissimum ad apices pro- 
ductis, tibiarum apicibus oblique truncatis ; posteriorum femoribus hamo valido, longo, incurvato, acutis- 
simo intus ad apices armatis; tibiis leviter incurvatis, externe spinulosis, et caleari singulo, brevi intus 
ad apices armatis; tarsis brevibus, robustis; antennis sat parvis, sat brevibus, rufo-piceis, clavis obscuri- 
oribus. Long. corp. 14-1 lin.=1-75-2 millim. 
Body suborbicular, imperfectly contractile, piceous, very shining. Head rather large, microscopically alutaceous, 
the mouth and the whole of the clypeus pale; eyes large and rather prominent ; antenne rather short and 
small, rufo-piceous, with club moderate, dusky. Thorax short and small, broader but scarcely longer than 
the head, widest at the base, microscopically punctured ; sides flavescent, margined and much rounded ; 
basal margin slightly rounded, with the angles obtuse. Scutellum rather large, obtusely triangular ; 
M* 2 
