132 [November, 



Habitat " Hiogo," in insula "Nipon," et " Simabara," «Ji insula 

 " Kushiu " Japanomm. 



In the present state of our knowledge of the members of the 

 genus Damaster, I believe myself justified in considering as a distinct 

 species the insect of which the diagnosis appears above, and which 

 was detected and brought to this country by my fi'iend, Mr. George 

 Lewis, from two widely separated (by some 400 miles) Japanese 

 localities, one at Hiogo, on the coast of JSTipon, the largest island of 

 the group, and the other on Simabara, a volcanic mountain on the 

 coast of the smaller island Kushiu, — both of which are sandy dis- 

 tricts. I have myself seen upwards of forty examples of this insect, 

 which, from its smaller size, and shorter legs and elytral mucro, seems 

 well separable from _D. hlaptoicles, to which, however, it is most 

 certainly closely allied, and which appears only to be found in deep 

 peaty woods on old granitic formations, and to be excessively restricted 

 as to locality, occurring on the hills at the back of Nagasaki. 



In addition to the above-mentioned characters of smaller size 

 (varying from nearly 1\ inches to nearly 2 inches, whereas hlap- 

 toides is always considerably over the latter measurement), com- 

 paratively shorter legs, much shorter mucronated apex of the elytra 

 (in which respect it seems intermediate between blaptoides and For- 

 tunci, which is only known to occur at Yokohama), and obsolete or 

 absent thoracic smooth median line, I observe that, comparing these 

 insects in the bulk with hlaptoides, they are apjiarently rather more 

 convex, and have an apparently shorter thorax, which is rather more 

 contracted in the lower third befoi'e the posterior angles. But I can 

 find no other differences ; any fancied discrepancy in colour or punc- 

 tuation disappearing on the comparison of a number of specimens. 

 As regards the miicronated apex of the elytra, individual peculiarities, 

 and even unsymmetrical developments in the same specimen, occur 

 in all the species ; but, allowing every possible latitude in this respect, 

 the difference remains very marked between hlapitoides and Leivisii. 



I do not know whether it has been observed before, but it seem 

 to me beyond doubt that the elytral mucro is longer in the male sex 

 of all the species. 



D. Forfnnei differs widely from the insect now under considera- 

 tion in its merely rudimentary elytral mucro, much shorter, wider, 

 and laterally sinuous thorax, which is usually somewhat brightly 

 metallic, more oval elytra, shorter and stouter limbs, &c. ; and the 

 small size, brightly metallic thorax, and rough punctuation of the 

 elytra of D. o^ngipennis, Mots. {auricolUs, C. O. Waterhouse), whicl 

 occurs at Hakodate in the North-eastern island Yesso, render aii\ 

 comparison -n-ith that species unnecessary. 



