10 Mr. A. Murray^s Monograph of the genus Catops. 



arrangement in facilitating the determination of species. For 

 instance, picipes in the first section has most affinity with nigri- 

 cans in the third, grandicollis in the first with tristis in the 

 second (indeed I propose to show presently that they are the 

 same species) ; and alpina in the first has very close affinity with 

 fumata in the second, and scitula in the third should join them. 

 Umhrina undoubtedly ought to go beside velox, which is not in 

 this section at all ; — Erichson's character of the dilatation of the 

 first joint of the middle tarsi in the males separating them. 

 Their affinity otherwise however is so great, that I think that 

 character must be disregarded to allow these species to take their 

 proper place beside each other. 



I now come to Kraatz's revision, in favour of which I cannot 

 speak too highly. 1 differ from him in opinion in one or two 

 instances, but wherever I do so I must beg the reader to take 

 my opinion with caution and examine it with suspicion, as the 

 well-known acumen and accuracy of that gentleman stamp his 

 views with a primd-facie authenticity which only very strong 

 evidence can overthrow. 



He divides the genus into five sections, the first three and the 

 last of which are Erichson^s ; the fourth is new. 



In the first section he has spadiceus, a new species which he 

 calls intermedins, angustatus, castaneus (or cisteloides, Frohl.), and 

 agilis. In speaking of Sturm I have already expressed my 

 opinion that castaneus and angustatus were varieties of the same 

 species, and I cannot come to a different opinion as regards 

 intermedins. When I go over the species seriatim, I shall give 

 my reasons for this as well as for any similar views I may have 

 adopted regarding other species. 



In the second section he includes acicularis (a new species, 

 which from the description seems distinct, but which I have not 

 seen in nature), umbrinus, fnscus, picipes, meridionalis, nigricans, 

 coracinus, 7norio, nigrita, grandicollis, chrysomeloides, longnlus, 

 Kelln. (which, as already mentioned, I think only a variety of 

 tristis), tristis, rotnndicollis, neglectns (a new species nearly allied 

 to tristis), alpinns, fumatns, brevicollis (a new species which I have 

 not seen, but which appears from the description to be good), 

 and scitnlus. 



The third section is confined to velox, badius, prcecooo, brun- 

 neus, and anisotomoides. 



The fourth section is characterized as follows, viz. : — 



" Mesosternnm feebly keeled ; body oblong, smooth and shining ; 

 antennae strong, scarcely thickened towards the point ; differ- 

 , ence of sexes unknown/' 



This section is erected by Kraatz to receive a single species 



