274 



BATOCKRIDAE. 



in the collection of the British Museum , showed the ex- 

 actness of Mr. Ritsenia's supposition concerning B. aphetor 

 Newm. and B. rixator Newm. Both these species belong 

 undoubtedly to the genus Apriona. A. aphetor is nearest 

 allied to A. punctatüsima Kaup , according to the thick 

 and woolly pubescence ; its prothorax is provided with 

 numerous wrinkles , like that of A. flavescens Kaup , and 

 the base of the elytra is thinly covered with small and 

 pointed granules, the shoulders are strongly prominent 

 but rounded, with a hardly perceptible obtuse humeral- 

 tooth and the apex is armed with four strong spines. A. 

 rixator is the smallest Apriona I am acquainted with; its 

 thorax is slightly wrinkled and the elytra are covered at 

 the base with a very few large and distant granules , the 

 humeral-tooth is very large but obtuse , the apex is provi- 

 ded with four blunt spines , and the undersurface shows 

 a white band along the sides. B. numitor Newm. is a 

 true Batocera but not a distinct species; a careful compa- 

 rison with B. Aja.v (Dej.) Th. (which is already recorded 

 from Celebes), convinced me that there is not a single cha- 

 racteristic to separate it specifically from that species. Be- 

 sides two large specimens , there are also two much small- 

 er ones in the Museum collection, which are oruated with 

 some small brownish spots on the elytra, but otherwise 

 they do not differ. 



These observations on B. numitor involuntarily induced 

 me to put the question »what are the specific differences 

 between B. titana Th. and B. Ajax (Dej.) Th. ?" At first 

 sight the differences between B. titana , with spotted elytra 

 and thorax, and Ajax ^ with immaculate elytra and thorax , 

 is very large , however a series of intermediate forms to 

 connect these extreme links is present. The elytral spots 

 of titana are very large in some specimens , but in other 

 ones they are very small , like those of ruhus L. ; B. ja- 

 vanica Th. is a variety of titana with inconspicuous red 

 spots on the thorax , but on the other hand a specimen 

 of Ajax in my own cabinet presents a distinctly spotted 



Notes from the Leyden IMuseuiu , "Vol. IX. 



