PSELAPHACUS.— MEG-ISCHYEUS. 37 



8. Pselaphacus signatus. 



Pselaphacus signatus, Guerin, Rev. Zool. 1841, p. 158 x ; Crotch, Cist. Ent. i. pp. 142, 421*. 

 Pselaphacus signatipennis, Lac. Monogr. Erotyl. p. 84 3 . 

 Episcapha signatipennis, Dej. Cat. 3rd edit. p. 137 4 . 



Hab. Nicaeagua, Chontales (Belt, Janson 2 ) ; Panama, Bugaba, Volcan de Chiriqui, La 

 Caldera (Champion). — Colombia 2 ; Guiana, Cayenne 2 4 ; Ecuador 2 ; Bolivia 2 ; Brazil, 

 Bahia 13 ; Amazons 2 . 



This species varies a little in size, but not much in the markings. Lacordaire 

 records two varieties, which, as he has observed, do not differ much from the " type," 

 i. e. from the form which he selected for his diagnosis ; there was no ground for the 

 substitution of a mere catalogue name for one under which Guerin had sufficiently 

 described another and equally typical form. 



MEGISCHYKUS. 



Megischyrus, Crotch, Cist. Ent. i. p. 143 (1873), and p. 422 (1876). 

 Ischyrus, Lacordaire, Monogr. Erotyl. p. 89 (1842) (pars). 



This genus, proposed by Crotch, is equivalent to Lacordaire's first division of the old 

 genus Ischyrus, if the only species in the Section B, viz. /. tar sails, is excluded. The 

 latter species Crotch refers to Epytus, an opinion I do not share, but which need not 

 be discussed here, as neither species of Upytus occurs on the continent of North 

 America. Megischyrus, therefore, is only characterized by the larger size of the 

 species mainly composing it, and by the more elongate club of the antennae. It is, 

 however, convenient as a typical group of species, occurring only in Mexico and 

 Central and South America. Crotch included twenty-six species in his list, and only 

 three have been since described, these latter being from Bolivia and Peru 



1. Megischyrus mexicanus. (Tab. II. fig. 11.) 



Ischyrus mexicanus, Lac. Monogr. Erotyl. p. 93 \ 

 Megischyrus mexicanus, Crotch, Cist. Ent. i. p. 423 2 . 



Bab. Mexico, Toxpam (SalU), Orizaba 1 2 , Yucatan 1 , Tabasco 1 . 



2. Megischyrus nicaraguae. (Tab. II. fig. 13.) 



Megischyrus nicaraguce, Crotch, Cist. Ent. i. p. 143 \ 



" M. mexicano proximus, et forte varietas geographica ; differt forma paullo convexiore brevioreque, elytris 

 minus opacis, evidentius punctato-striatis, regione subapicali baud rufo-limbata. L. c. 8 lin." 



Sab. Nicaeagua (Salle), Chontales (Belt, Janson l ). 



The above is all Crotch has said about this species. In addition I may point out 

 that the red colour of the elytra in all the specimens I have seen is less vivid, and that 



