36 aUTELIN.'E. 



are sharp aud recurved, the inner edge having a close fringe of 

 golden hairs. The mentum is elongate, slightlj^ bilobed at the 

 end and strongly constricted at tlie insertion of the palpi. The 

 maxillae are stout, densely clothed with golden hairs and armed 

 with five or six very sharp teeth in three parallel ranges. The 

 palpi are short with a large terminal joint. Tlie antennae are 

 generally short, the 2nd to 7th joints very short and closely 

 articulated, the 8th to 10th forming a small compact club. The 

 front tibia is armed with three short teeth, the middle tibia is 

 produced into a sharp spine externally at the end and the hind 

 tibia has a strong transverse carina. The penultimate joint 

 of the middle and hind tarsi is produced into a sharp point beneath. 

 The mesosternum has a point in front, which is generally blunt 

 and not produced, but sometimes forms a sharp process. In 

 a Malayan species (P. mirabiUs, Arro^^ ) the female alone has a 

 process. 



This gsnus presents a considerable variety of form and structure, 

 although constant in its essential features. It includes the great 

 majority of the species belonging to the Parastasiini, and most 

 of the allied genera may be regarded as especially modified recent 

 offshoots of it. It is of peculiar interest for the very diverse and 

 remarkable differences which distinguish the sexes of its various 

 species. Many of these were described by me in 1899 (" Sexual 

 Dimorphism in the Eutelid genus Parastasia,'' Trans. Ent. Soc. 

 Lond. 1899, p. 479). The pi-onotum is usually more convex and 

 parallel-sided in the female and produced into a slight neck in the 

 male. The cleavage of the claws is also very often different in the 

 two sexes, the females of many species having them quite simple, 

 while the males have one claw upon each foot, or upon some of the 

 feet, cleft. 



The colours occurring in the genus are confined to shades of 

 red or yellow and black, the brilliant metallic hues so prevalent 

 amongst the allied JVew AVorld genera, as well as in the Anomalini, 

 being absent. In certain species (e. g. P. rufopicta, P. hasalis, 

 P. andamanica) there is a pattern of black and orange reminiscent 

 of the combination characteristic of many Eeottlid^, Eistbo- 

 MYCHID^, and other Coleoptera haunting decaying timber, and, 

 although almost nothing has been recorded as to their habits, I have 

 little doubt that many species of Parastasia are to be found in 

 the same environment. 



In my paper published in 1899 I found it necessary to unite 

 with Parastasia several supposed genera the distinctive features 

 of which were found only in one sex. I liave now found myself 

 obliged also to reject the names Lviera, Gijplulytra, Ridelarclia 

 and PohjmoicJius having entirely failed to find characters of more 

 than specific importance by which they can be separated. 



The larva and pupa of Parastasia conflueas were described and 

 figured by Schiodte in 1874 (Naturhist. Tidskr. ix, p. 296, pi. x, 

 figs. 1-10). They were found in large numbers by Roepstorff 

 in a dead t;ree-trunk in the Andaman Islands. 



