INSECTA MADERENSIA. 511 



subqiiach-ate, with the sides nearly straight and all the angles acute, — the anterior ones being 

 considerably porrected. Elytra distinctly sulcated, or striated, but without any indications of 

 punctui-es. Antenna and legs long ; the latter with their tibice almost glabrous. 



Exceedingly common throngliout tlie islands of the Madeiran group, occui-ring 

 in basaltic caves, or beneath stones, in spots near to the coast, — though usually at 

 low elevations. In Porto Santo however I have captured it, in the utmost profvi- 

 sion, near the summit of the Pico d'Anna Ferreira, in a large cavern opening to 

 the south. In the neighbourhood of Fmichal it is at times equally plentiful,^ 

 especially in excavations of the tufa along the sea-beach ; and it is occasionally to 

 be met wiih. even in and around dwelling-houses (like many of the Blapskhe) : 

 nevertheless the vicinity of the shore is clearly its normal range. It is abundant 

 in the Canaries ; and I am informed by M, Deyrolle of Paris that he has received 

 it from Senegal, on the coast of Africa. Regarding the habitat of the Blaps elon- 

 gata of 01i\der (viz. the Cape of Good Hope), I am inclined to suspect that there 

 must have been some error connected with it ; for, if the insect be really the same 

 as the Madeiran and Canarian one (as is universally admitted), it is extremely 

 unlikely that it should occur at so vast a distance from its (evidently) legitimate 

 sphere. And so, apparently, thought Dejean also (unless indeed, which is not 

 improbable, he had certain information on the subject), — for, although Olivier 

 gives the Cape of Good Hoj)e as the locality of his species, Dejean subsequently (in 

 his Catalogue) corrects the mistake, citing Teneriffe instead. 



Fam. 50. HELOPID^. 



Genus 175. HELOPS. (Tab. XII.) 

 Fabricius, Syst. Ent. 257 (1775). 



Corpus magnum, plus minusve (in speciebus Maderensibus saltern) oblongo-ovatum, convexum : fronte 

 (XII. 2 a) ad latera leviter elevata, ad apicem truncata : metastemo postice vl\ bifido : elytris 

 modo liberis, modo (ut in speciebus nostris) subconnatis : alis obsoletis. Antenna capita pro- 

 thoraceque paulo (in maribus interdum multo) longiores, filiformes, apicem versus vix sensim 

 incrassatse et baud moniliformes, articulo prime leviter robusto breviusculo, secundo brevissimo, 

 tertio elongato, reliquis longitudine subrequaUbus (idtimo extus oblique subtruncato). Instru- 

 menta cibaria (XII. 2 a-2 d, 4 a-4 d, 6 a-6 c, 8 a-8 c) fere ut in Macrostetho, sed maxillarum lobus 

 intemus simplex latior apice obtusus, et nientum subquadratum antice mtegrum. Pedes elongati, 

 plerumque subgraciles : tibiis subtiliter pubescentibus; anticis ad apicem externum (in maribus 

 prsecipue) interdum acutis : tarsis heteromeris, subtus dense pubescentibus [anterioribits articulis, 

 ultimo excepto, interdum subcordatis et in maribus plus minusve dilatatis) ; posticis articulo 

 primo longiusculo. 



The representatives of the present very extensive genus may be known (so far 

 at least as the European ones are concerned) by their convex, rather thickened and 



