412 Mr. D. Sharp's Contributions to the 



another appears to me likely to be a point of great dlfTi- 

 culty, owing to the extreme general resemblance that 

 exists between numerons species. The genus llolosus of 

 Motschoulsky and Kraatz appears to be excessively closely 

 allied to Lispinus, and scarcely justifies the adoption for 

 it of a distinct generic name In the present state of our 

 knowledge of the exotic StaphyliuidcB, The South 

 American species of Lispinus aj^pear to me to belong to 

 two groups, easily distinguished from one another by the 

 form of the head ; in L. .striola and its allies the antennal 

 tubercles are quite ol)solete, and the front of the head is 

 very evenly and distinctly margined, and its upper surface 

 convex, while in the other group the antennal tubercles 

 are distinct, and the front of the head is scarcely or not at 

 all margined. L. simplex and L, lafus, here described, 

 belong to this latter group, while all the other species 

 I here describe belong to the first-mentioned group, the 

 L. depressus making, however, a considerable approach 

 to the second group. 



1. Lispinus striola, Er. 



Para ; a series of specimens. 



This is, apparently, one of the species of Staphi/li7iid(j> 

 having a great geographical range in the warm parts of the 

 New AVorld. 



2. Lispinus catena, n. sp. Elongatus, angustulus, 

 jiarallelus, nigro-piceus, nitldus; antennls, pedlbus, abdoml- 

 nis(pie aplce rufis ; thorace basin versus lenlter angustato, 

 lateribus hand sinuatis, basl ntrinquo im])resslone angusta; 

 caplte thorace(pie sat crebre et subtiliter ])unctatis; elytris 

 parcius punctatls, disco striola minus discreta e punctis 

 elongatls formata notatis. Long. corp. fere 2^ lin. 



Antennas reddish; joints 7 — 10 transverse, 3rd slightly 

 longer than 2n(l. Plead rather finely and moderately 

 closely punctured, on the disc with two larger distant 

 punctures. Thorax not quite so long as broad ; the sides 

 only a little narrowed towards the base, on each side near 

 the hind angles with a n arrowy elongate Improssion, reach- 

 ing (juitc half-way to the front; on the middle is an ex- 

 cessively fine channel; the surface is rather finely and 

 moderately closely punctured. Elytra a little longer llian 

 the thoi'ax, only a little less shining, sparingly but not 

 altogether finely punctured, the punctures being rather 



