442 Transactions of the Society. 



Sub-family 1. EsPHALMENlNiB. 



This family is always poorly represented in collections, and 

 very few entomologists have seen each of the half dozen or so 

 known species. Unfortunately, although I have representation of 

 every known species in my collection, they are all old and dry, and 

 in the case of the rarer sorts, I prefer to wait for eventual fresh 

 material, rather than break up the very fragile and valuable 

 specimen to obtain not really satisfactory results. 



It is a very well characterized sub-family, unaccountably con- 

 fused by so acute an observer as Verhoeff, as well as previous 

 writers, myself included, with the Oriental genus Gonolabis Burr, 

 the only feature in common being the total apterousness and 

 posterior dilation of the abdomen. 



Zacher figures the genitalia of Esphalmenus lativentris Phil., the 

 type species, and I add that of the South African E. pcringueyi 

 Borm. ; Zacher very naturally questions the ranging of this isolated 

 South African species into an essentially Andean genus, for all 

 other known species are confined to the western coast of South 

 America, from Patagonia to Ecuador, but there is no doubt whatever 

 that E. peringueyi is a genuine Esplialmemis (PI. IX. fig. 2). Apart 

 from the external characters, the form of the prosternum, abdo- 

 men, tarsi, pygidium, and the genitalia are of the same general form 

 as in E. lativentris. 



In both the metaparameres are short, broad and bilobed ; the 

 virga is short, the greater proportion being occupied by the dilated 

 vesicle, with " Spiralversteifung." The form of the metaparameres 

 is only slightly different in the two species, as a comparison of 

 Zacher's figure and of mine will show. The virga is essentially 

 the same, Zacher's " Endrohr " being the virga proper, with spiral 

 structure ; at the base in E. lativentris there is a small acute 

 chitin-plate. In my mount of E. peringueyi, which is taken from a 

 very old and dry specimen, I cannot detect such a plate, but I 

 observe a free, narrow chitin-plate, as long as the whole virga, in 

 one of the preputial sacs. 



In E. camposi Bor. the manubrium is decidedly transverse, in 

 the form of an obtuse-angled triangle. 



In Esphalmenus camposi Bor. we find a peculiar development 

 of the metaparameres. 



I have unfortunately only old and dry specimens to examine, 

 and consequently the armature of the preputial sacs and virga is 

 very obscure (PL IX. fig. 3). I am just able to detect a short length 

 of ejaculatory duct entering a very delicate inflated vesicle, which 

 in turn seems to run through a horseshoe-shaped transverse bar, 

 but I can see no trace of spiral structure ; at the apex of the sacs 

 there seems to be a broad dilated chitin-plate. 



