INSECTA MADERENSIA. 357 



body, in conjunction mth its oblong eyes, its basally sinuated and posteriorly 

 acuminated elytra, with their extremely porrected shoulders, and the very remark- 

 able development of its tibia?, will at once remove it. These last indeed afford 

 male characters the value of which will be readily appreciated, since the extra- 

 ordinary manner in which their inner edge is expanded into a rounded prominence, 

 or calf (especially apparent in the hinder ones, where it is medial instead of sub- 

 basal), is scarcely paralleled in any other Coleopterous genus with which I am 

 acquainted. True it is that it may be merely an exaggeration of the tendency 

 which the tibite of this Madeiran type appear to possess, to be suddenly constricted 

 before their extremity, which causes the hinder region to appear unusually ex- 

 panded, and which we see very distinctly indicated in the normal Atlantides ; yet 

 still, it is so largely expressed in Cyphoscells, and is accompanied by so many other 

 structm'al anomalies, that it cannot but be looked upon as a very important addi- 

 tion to its generic diagnosis. Nor is this the only u'regularity which the tibiae of 

 Cyphoscelis display, the apically subgaleated conformation which is just traceable 

 in its allies being there perceptible, not only throughout their entire lengtli, but 

 (in a less degree) even in the intermediate pair. Although it is only at their ter- 

 mination that they may be considered as precisely galeated, yet they are so com- 

 pletely concave, or scooped out (in a tortuous or twisted manner), beneath, that 

 they have the appearance, under the microscope, of being a mere shell rather than 

 a solid mass. Both edges of this flexuose under-groove would seem to l^e more or 

 less armed with crenulations, — though, from the oblique curvatm-e of the former, 

 the latter are not very easily to be detected. The two front tibiae are more 

 regularly arcuated in the males of Cyphoscelis than in those of any of the approxi- 

 mate forms, — in all of which they are nearly straight, and inwardly directed at 

 their extremities only. The main distinctive featiu-e in the hinder male tibiae 

 (VII. 2 c) of our present genus (apart from their largely developed medial process) 

 consists in their inner angle being neither emarginated, nor truncated, nor yet 

 exactly entire, — but rounded into an obtvise and slightly prominent heel. In the 

 disproportionate tliickness of its legs in the two sexes, Cyplioscelis agrees with 

 Laparocerus and the typical Atlantides. 



275. Cyphoscelis distorta, Tf^oll. (Tab. VII. fig. 2.) 



C. ovato-elliptica depressa nigra, piibe aurescenti-, vel viridescenti-brunnea depressa dense tecta, 

 prothorace subcarinato profimde et parce punctate, elytris leviter punctato-striatis, setulis 

 miuutis erectis remotis obsitis sad vix tessellatis, antennis tarsisque pallido-ferrugineis. 

 Mas, pedibus robustis latis : tibiis intus crenulatis ; anterioribus apice leviter uncinatis ; anticis 

 (prsesertim ad apieem) incurvis ; posticis in surain mediam internam ampliatis, ad apicem subito 

 explanatis, angulo interno calcaneiformi rotundato, externo acuto exstante. 

 Fcem., pedibus gracilioribus sed vix brevioribus, simplicibus. 

 Long. corp. lin. 2^-3;^. 



