422 



REVISION OF THE AMYCTERIDES. 

 Part v. Mulochtus and Ctihicorrhynchtis. 



By Eustace W. Ferciuson, M.B., Ch.M. 



MoLOCHTUS Pascoe. 



Pascoe, Journ. Linn. Soc, xii., 1873, p. 18. 



Type of genus, M. gagates Pascoe. 



r^arge, or very large species. Head convex, separated from 

 rostrum by a transverse impression; supraorbital crests in tbe 

 form either of a raised ridge, or of two, dentiform tubercles. 

 Rostrum deeply concave above, the lateral margins strongly 

 raised. Prothorax rotundate or suliquadrate, with two, small 

 spicules at anterior and two at posterior lateral angles, these 

 more marked in the female; disc closely granulate. Elytra 

 broad, flattened more or less on disc, strongly declivous; striate, 

 the punctures often transverse, crossing interstices as a series of 

 transverse wrinkles; interstices granulate or tuberculate. Under- 

 surface in the male concave at base and granulate, at least at 

 base of abdomen; in the female, convex, non-granulate. Anterior 

 coxae contiguous. Legs stout. Tarsi broad, with claw-joint 

 flattened above, broad and parallel-sided in greater part of its 

 length. 



The position of Molochliis, in relation to other genera, has 

 been variously regarded by different entomologists. In de- 

 scribing the genus, Pascoe referred it to the neighbourhood of 

 Talaurinus, at the same time noting that the type-species (J/. 

 gagates) was not very unlike Cuhicorrhynchits niaxirmis Macl. 

 Sloane (Trans. Roy. Soc. South Aust., 1893, p. 232), in describing 

 Acantholophus granulatus, stated that it seemed to him the 

 affinities of Molochtus were more to Ctcbicorrhytichus and Acan- 

 tholophns. Lea (Die Fauna Siidwest-Australiens, ii., 1909, p. 222) 

 regarded C. viaximus as certainly congeneric with M. gagates, 

 and placed that species under Cuhicorrhynchns, thus deleting 

 the genus Molochtus altogether. 



