2 Transactions South African Pliilosopliical Society. [vol. xii. 



The representatives of this family hve in rotten logs or tree- 

 trunks, and are therefore mostly dependent on forests, which are 

 rare in South Africa, where only five genera and six species are re- 

 corded. Three of these genera are peculiar to the South African 

 fauna. In one genus (Colophon) the hroadly dilated fore tibitr 

 imply perhaps terricolous habits. 



Key to the Genera. 



Sub-Family Lucanin.?:. 



A=. Ligula not bi-lobate ; maxillae not hooked ; body short ; 



mandibles short, arcuate in both sexes Colophon. <2, 



Ligula bi-lobate ; body oblong, smooth ; mandibles greatly 



developed in the male Cladognatlnisi^ 



A'. Ligula bi-lobate ; maxillte with an inner hook ; body oblong, 



squamose ; mandibles short in the male Oonotiis. (o 



Sub-Family Figulin.e. 



Eyes incompletely divided ; mandibles sub-horizontal, long, 



bifid at tip Xiphodontus. 7 



Eyes completely divided ; mandibles short and bearing at 



the base a vertical horn incurved at tip Nigidius. ^ 



Gen. colophon. Gray, 

 Griffith's Animal Kingd., 1832, i., p. 533. 



Mentum articulate, slightly attenuate laterally, and hiding the 

 maxillsB and the ligula ; the latter is long and slender, not bi-lobate, 

 a little ampliate laterally towards the tip and deeply emarginate 

 triangularly and broadly at tip ; the palpigers are swollen and 

 contiguous, the labial palpi are somewhat long, the apical joint is 

 in the shape of an elongate, slightly incurved club ; maxillae ending 

 in a long pencil of hairs, maxillary palpi not long, second joint longer 

 than the apical which is only slightly longer than the third ; mandibles 

 as long as the head in the male, a little shorter in the female, roundly 

 urcuate ; eyes not very deeply divided ; the four apical joints of the 

 antennae are pectinate, but only the last three are pubescent ; pro- 

 thorax broad, ampliate and rounded laterally, diagonally attenuate 

 towards the base ; elytra short, convex, sub-ovate ; anterior tibiae , 



