1891.] 71 



widest at posterior angles, narrowest at anterior angles, lateral margins narrowly but 

 clearly elevated, and continuing as a stria behind the eyes, and becoming evanescent 

 in the centre, base sinuate on each side ; scutellum triangular and impunctate ; 

 elytra : sutural stria very short and consisting of six or eight punctures, eight other 

 punctate strite, with tlie interstices smooth and slightly convex. The colour of the 

 under-surface and legs varies. 



Motschulsky formed the genus Amarantha to receive a species 

 (viridis) taken ou the borders of the Caspian Sea, south of the 

 Caucasus, but he placed it near Helops. Faust, Hor. Ent. Ross., xi, 

 p. 249, places it in its proper position near HopJocephala and 

 Platydema. 



I found examples of this species in all the elevated forests as 

 far north as Nikko, and in the Yezo it was taken at the sea-level. It 

 inhabits the touch-wood of decaying beeches. 



Basanus, Lacordaire, Gen. Col., v, 1859, p. 306. ' 



Basanus erottloides, n. sp. 



Oblongo-ovalis, niger, nitidus ; elytrls utrinque maculis vel fasciis rufis 

 duabus ; abdomine rufo, apice parum infuscato ; pedibus nigris. 



Long., 7\ — 10 millim. 



Head rather coarsely and roughly punctate, with a shallow impression between 

 the eyes ; thorax punctured, punctures rather smaller and less rough, the lateral 

 margins well raised, forming an even but narrow sulcus within ; elytra with 

 corresponding epipleurse, which, however, terminate at the apical red spot : striae 

 are formed of small punctures in well-defined rows, interstices flat, with finer 

 scattered punctures ; the subhumeral transverse fascia does not cross the epipleura, 

 and internally it ceases before the sutural stria — between the 4th and 5th stria it 

 has a long denticulation, which nearly touches the base of the elytra, and posteriorly 

 the margin of this fascia has thi*ee denticulations, shorter and equal to each other in 

 length, before the apex of the elytra there is a second red spot of irregular, but not 

 always constant, outline. Beneath the abdomen is a bright red, with the terminal 

 segment infuscate. Antennae and legs black, with the tarsi piceous. 



One example in twenty has faint longitudinal impressions on the 

 elytra. 



This fine species differs from B.forficornis, Dej.,in having longer 

 and more slender antennae, the thorax narrowed anteriorly from the 

 middle, the elytra usually without longitudinal impressions and the 

 anterior fascia dentate, and the abdomen red. 



The genus should be placed next to Scaphidema ; the structure 

 of the sterna is similar in both. 



Found in old trees in all the islands. Tuyama, Hakone, Nikko, 

 and Sapporo are special localities for it. 



Folkestone : February, 1891. 



