546 Transactions South African Philosophical Society, [vol. xii. 



striae seem to have discappeared, but a double one is somewhat 

 discernible in the middle of the dorsal part; pygidium finely 

 shagreened except the apical part which is smooth. 



Female unknown. 



Nothing is known of the habits of this remarkable insect, l)ut 

 judging from the shape of the maxillae, it is probable that, like 

 PychnoscJtcma, it lives in the manure-heaps of the subterraneous white 

 ant Hodotermes havilancli, Sharp. 



Length 14 mm. ; width 8 mm. 



Hah. Cape Colony (Malmesbury). 



Gen. CYPHONISTES, Burm., 



Handb. d. Entom., v., 1847, p. 213. 



Mentum narrow, elongato-ovate, attenuate laterally towards the 

 insertion of the labial palpi, obliquely ampliate above it, and broadly 

 emarginate, it is deeply excavate longitudinally from the base to 

 three-fourths of the length, the ligular part is slightly receding and 

 grooved in the centre ; labial palpi short, apical one sub-cylindrical, 

 rounded at tip, apical lobe of maxillae not much curved, hollowed 

 inwardly, having a short, curved tooth at the tip, two, opposite one 

 another, near the apex, and a strongly bifid one at the base, last joint 

 of maxillary palpi not long, fusiform inwardly, straight outwardly, 

 and sub-truncate at tip ; mandibles three-dentate, the teeth a little 

 divaricating, somewhat angular, reflexed and projecting much be- 

 yond the clypeus which is very attenuated laterally, slightly reflexed 

 at tip, but not bi-dentate ; genae projecting much, triangular, median 

 part of the head with a long compressed horn bifid at tip in the male, 

 or a short bifid tubercle in the female ; prothorax marginate all 

 round, excavate and bi-tuberculate in front in the male, simple in the 

 female ; scutellum ogival ; elytra convex, slightly arnpliate laterally 

 past the middle, distinctly punctate and even striate, callose behind ; 

 propygidium very finely striate transversely and broadly in the 

 median part, pygidium transversely convex at a short distance from 

 the basal part, and a little declivous in the middle, horizontally sub- 

 aculeate at the apex and projecting as an inverted gutter, and having 

 the lower part of the pygidium overhung by the upper in the female ; 

 abdominal segments a little contracted in the middle ; metasternum 

 moderately broad, prosternum with an horizontal, carinate, inter- 

 coxal process, pectus very pubescent ; anterior tibiae sharply tri- 

 dentate, joints of anterior tarsi thickened in the male, penultimate 



