BY E. W. FERGUSON. . 423 



To my mind, though unquestionably related to Cubicorrhyn- 

 chus, the genus Molochius, as exemplified by Jll. gagates, seems 

 worthy to be maintained as distinct. Also, I do not regard C . 

 niaximus as congeneric with M. gagates; it seems to me unques- 

 tionably congeneric with Ac. granulatus and Ac. Blackburni 

 { = Ac. simplex Blackb.), though the position of these three 

 species is open to question. The head, in all the species of 

 Molochtus, is very strongly convex, the intercristal portion being 

 feebly transversely concave, and separated from the rest of the 

 head by a more or less distinct impression; the crests are repre- 

 sented either by a feebly elevated ridge, or by two, small, denti- 

 form projections. The rostrum does not differ materially from 

 that of .4c. C?) maximus, but is decidedly more excavate than that 

 of Cuhicorrhynchus, with the lateral margins more strongly raised. 

 Theprothorax is quadrate or rotundate, with two, small denticles 

 in the region of the antero-lateral angle, and two more near the 

 postero-lateral angle. In the male, these, or some of them, may 

 be obsolete, but they are always well marked in the female, 

 which also has theprothorax invariably narrower. The granules 

 on the thorax are always more or less flattened, and closely set. 

 The elytral sculpture is fairly characteristic, though that of 

 .4c. C?) maximus is not unlike; the interstices are granulate, the 

 granules being generally depressed, though, in some forms of 

 M. gagates, they become conical tubercles posteriorly and later- 

 ally; they are separated by more or less distinct, transverse im- 

 pressions, often extending over two or more interstices; the whole 

 sculpture is often confused, and difficult to describe. The 

 metasternum and ventral segments, at any rate the basal two, 

 are strongly granulate, a feature which I have not noted in 

 Cubicorrhyiiclius. The tarsal structure, howevei", is the feature 

 to which I attach most importance in separating the two genera. 

 In Molochtus, the fourth or clawjoint is broad, flattened above, 

 with subparallel sides throughout the greater portion of its 

 length, and not narrowed till quite close to the base. In Arait- 

 tholophiis and Cubicorrhynchus, the clawjoint is not flattened 

 above, and is gradually widened from base to near apex. 



Two species of Molochtus have, in past years, been described, 



