GENUS CERAPTERUS OF SWEDERUS. 501 



C. MacLeaii. Mr. MacLeay, himself the possessor of the 

 individuals described by Swederus and Donovan, has in the 

 first portion of the Annulosa of Dr. Smith's work, published 

 a memoir upon this genus, (adding another species,) upon 

 which I shall take the liberty to make a few remarks. 



Of the characters given by Mr. MacLeay of the genus, we 

 find the tarsi described as tetramerous and filiform. In M. 

 Gory's insect they are decidedly pentamerous, which is the 

 typical structure of the family; and the figures given by Mr. 

 MacLeay represent the basal joints as broad and pulvillose. 

 The other characters which he has given of the genus appear 

 almost verbally extracted from those given by me in the Linn. 

 Trans., although he is pleased to remark upon the extreme 

 inaccuracy of previous writers upon the genus. 



Mr. MacLeay has divided the genus (which, in accordance 

 with his new system of nomenclature, must be called Cerapte- 

 rinus,) into two subgenera, the characters of which may thus 

 be contrasted: — ■ 



Subgenus Cerapterus, Swed. Subgenus Arthropterus,* MacLeay. 



Caput tborace aiigustius, collo brevi, Caput thorace baud angustius, collo 



oculis mediocribus: conspicuo, oculis niagnis. 



Thorax latior quam longus lateribus Thorax longior quam latus subquadra- 



dilatatis rotundatis : tus. 



Scutellum mediocre : Scutellum minimum. 



Elytra abdomine vix breviora apice Elytra angusta parallela apice trunca- 



subrotundata : ta abdomine breviora. 



Tibiae lateribus parallelis apice trunca- TibijE lateribus baud parallelis apice 



tis baud bispinosis: bispinosis. 



Tarsi intra tibiarum ajjices excavates Tarsi intra tibiarum 'apices excavates 



retractiles. baud retractiles. 



Tropical, Asia and Africa. New Holland. 



In the first of these subgenera are placed C. latipes, Hors- 

 fieldii, and Smithii, MacL. ; and in the second MacLeaii, and 

 M. Gory's species, of which Mr. J. Curtis possesses a specimen, 

 noticed by Mr. MacLeay. It will be seen that these two 

 subgenera are founded, not upon the variations of the trophi, 

 (which are not described,) but almost entirely upon mere 

 outline. 



In the other Paiissidce, I have, however, clearly shown that 

 external outline is valueless as a character, whilst the variation 

 in the trophi led to the establishment of the genus Plalyrho- 



* Upon what character can Mr. MacLeay, (who speaks so harshly of names 

 proposed by others,) have established this name ? 



