FROM CENTRAL WESTERN AFRICA. 75 



were published by me in the " Transactions of the Entomological 

 Society" (vol. ii. p. 84), read August 2nd, 1852, and/our additional 

 species were added by me in the "Transactions" of the same 

 Society (vol. iii.), read July 3rd, 1854. I have now the pleasure 

 of adding another new species of the genus JPaussus, very remark- 

 able in several of its structural details, and which belongs to the 

 African section of the genus with a bipartite prothorax and an 

 excavated clava to the antennae. 



Paitsstjs Murrait, Westw. 



P. prothorace bipartito clavaque antennarum postice excavata ; piceo-rufus, 

 sub lente creberrime punctatus, capite inter oculos transverse eleyato et in 

 medio fossulis duabus minimis transversis impresso, angulis posticis parte- v 

 que postica prothoracis extus porrectis et fere latitudine elytrorum, podiee 

 setis longis marginato. 



Long. corp. 3 lin. 



Hab. " Old Calabar," Africse tropicse occidentalis. In mus. nostro. Ami- 

 cissime communicavit D. Audr. Murray, Entomologus Edinensis peri- 

 tissimus. 



This species is distinguished at once from every species hitherto 

 described in the peculiar form of the clava of the antennae and 

 prothorax. The upper side of the head is sloping and slightly 

 concave from between the eyes to the fore margin, which is 

 slightly emarginate and a little depressed. Between the eyes the 

 head is raised into a transverse ridge, in the middle of which are 

 two very minute impressions placed transversely with raised 

 black edges : the hinder margin of the eyes is furnished with some 

 porrected bristles : the antennae have a thick and somewhat pris- 

 matical basal joint, and the clava is large, being about equal in size 

 to the prothorax ; it is navicular, the front margin or keel being 

 acute, with three deep transverse impressions within the margin. 

 The inner basal edge is very deeply incised close to the insertion 

 of the clava upon the basal joint, the remainder of this margin 

 forming a long and acute angle, the outer edge of which extends 

 to the base of the deep boat-like excavation; the upper edge of 

 this excavation is very slightly crenated ; the lower edge on the 

 contrary is more irregular, being deeply emarginate at its base, 

 the emargination clothed with strong bristles, and oblique from 

 the middle to the apex of the antennae, which is rounded ; within 

 the posterior margin the excavation is marked with four deep 

 transverse impressions ; the hind part of the head is narrowed 

 into a neck. The prothorax is strongly bipartite; the anterior 

 portion is the shorter, having a sharp ridge running across it, with 



