MELITOMMA.—ATRACTOCERUS. 111 
Hab. Mexico, Cordova, Tuxtla (Sallé); Guaremata, El Reposo, El Zumbador 
(Champion) ; Nicaraeua, Chontales (Belt); Braziu}, Santa Catharina? (coll. Gorham, 
Murray).—Cr.zpes (Wallace); Wust Arrica, Old Calabar?; Anpaman Isianps, Siam, 
Laos, Pachbon (Mouhot). 
I have stated above that the type of Mr. Murray’s /. castaneum has not been seen 
by me; the only difference which I can observe between the American and the Eastern 
exponents of this species is that the latter are rather more deeply castaneous or ferru- 
ginous red, and that their elytra are not so densely pilose; but even this is not always 
observable. In one example, at least, that from El Reposo, the elytra are at once 
darker and smoother than in other American specimens. Some of the Eastern examples 
are 24 millim., or nearly an inch in length; these are females; the males are usually 
much smaller, 10 millim.; but I must here notice I have found no male specimen from 
Central or South America, excepting one from Santa Catharina, which has, like those 
from the Amazon and Peru, black margins to the thorax and elytra. Ido not, however, 
regard these as a separate species, and have therefore no reason for supposing the males 
of the Mexican or Guatemala species will be found to be different. 
My own belief is that this will prove to be a species which is transported with 
commerce, in the spars or timber of shipping, although in that case the occurrence of it 
at high elevations must be admitted to be singular. 
ATRACTOCERUS. 
Atractocerus, Palisot de Beauvois, Décad. Philom. Ann. ix. p. 6 (1801). 
Macrogaster, Thunb. Geetting. Gel. Anzeig. xxix. p. 281 (1805). 
The most abnormal genus of this curious family. ‘The insects comprised in this 
genus have more the appearance of some Neuropterous or Dipterous form. The eyes 
are enormous, contiguous, or almost so, above, the antenne rudimentary, the maxillary 
palpi of the male largely developed and with lamellar processes, the elytra reduced | 
to a pair of scale-like rudiments; the hind wings well developed, with a costal and four 
principal veins; the third vein gives rise to two branches; these veins are all continued 
to the hind margin of the wing, and so form seven open cells. The costal and first 
vein are united by a transverse stigmatic vein. 
Ten species of Atractocerus are given in the Munich Catalogue: they occur without 
much differentiation in Brazil, Africa, Madagascar, Ceylon, Java, the Moluccas, 
Australia, and I possess an undescribed species from the Philippine Islands. 
From their habit of flying to light, and their largely developed eyes, I think it 
probable that the Atractoceri are parasitic upon the Lampyride in some of their stages. 
The Central-American species seems identical with the common South-American one. 
