198 HISTERID Z. 
CONTIPUS. 
Contipus, Marseul, Monogr. in Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1853, p. 543. 
Contopus, Gemminger & Harold, Cat. iii. p. 764 (nomen preocc.). 
Four species of this genus are known—two from America and two from the West 
Coast of Africa. From the number of specimens in collections we may conclude the 
species are either rare or difficult to procure, and nothing is apparently known of their 
habits. The genus has the general facies of Hister. 
1. Contipus subquadratus. 
Contipus subquadratus, Mars. Monogr. in Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1853, p. 548, t. 16. fig. 3’. 
Hab. Mexico, Guanajuato, Puebla (Sal/é), Matamoros Izucar (Hége), Yucatan 
(Pilate+). Three examples. 
HISTER. 
Mister, Linneus, Syst. Nat. 12th edit. ii. p. 566 (1767). 
Atholus, Thomson, Skand. Col. i. p. 767 (1859), & iv. p. 228. 
Pactolinus, Motschulsky, Bull. Acad. Imp. St. Pétersb. i. p. 305 (1860). 
Over 300 species are known of this genus, and, setting aside Australia, they seem to 
be fairly distributed over the globe. The African forms are probably as little known 
as any. The American species, which include H. diadema, H. coronatus, and H. mon- 
tivagus of this series, are some of the most curious and interesting. ister is not, a 
genus which is likely at any time to be subdivided by systematists, although the species 
are very dissimilar inter se and their characters well marked. Several parts of the 
globe have a series of similar species which possess distinctive characters of their own, 
and this is especially the case in Tropical America. 
1. Hister costatus. 
Hister costatus (Lec.), Mars. Monogr. in Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1857, p. 407, t. 10. no. xx. fig. 1’. 
Hab. Mexico (Flohr), Tenejapam, Guanajuato, Puebla (Sal/é1), Matamoros Izucar, 
Jalapa, Guadalajara (Hoge). 
In the Sallé collection there is an example labelled as from Guatemala, but this 
locality requires confirmation. Herr Hoge met with this species in abundance during 
his second expedition to Mexico; it is sometimes found in ants’ nests, 
2. Hister levipes. 
Hister levipes, Germ. Ins. Spec. nov. p. 87; Mars. Monogr. in Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1854, p. 233, 
t. 7. fig. 49°. 
Hister simplicimanus, De}. Cat. 3rd edit. p. 141°. 
Hab. Norta America2, United States 1.—Mexico 1.—Brazit 1. 
There is no example of this species in the collection under examination. 
