1897.] of tJie Coleoptera of South Africa. 45 



Out of the 6 genera occurring in Mashunaland {Euplectus, 

 Beichembachia, Zethopsus, Asyvwplectus, Syrhatus, Batoxyla), 2 

 occur in every part of the world, 1 in other parts of Africa and Asia, 

 1 in America, 1 at the Cape, and 1 is not recorded from anywhere 

 else. 



Thus out of 16 genera in the Cape Colony, 10 are special ; out of 

 12 genera in Natal, 1 is special ; out of 6 genera in Mashunaland, 

 1 is special ; and 5 of the 12 genera occurring in Natal are also found 

 at the Cape ; 2 out of the 5 found in Mashunaland occur also at the 

 Cape. 



If we now examine the species, we notice that the isolation of 

 the Cape fauna from that of other parts is still more clearly 

 marked. 



Out of the 76 species known to occur in South Africa, 7 of which 

 only are found in other parts of Africa, 2 are from Abyssinia, 2 from 

 the "West Coast of Africa, and 3 from Zanzibar. Of the 2 Abyssinian 

 species, 1, Rciclicmhachia circuniflexa, occurs also in Mashunaland 

 and Natal ; the other, Odontalgus vcspertinus, is also met with in 

 Natal. Out of the 2 species from the West Coast, 1, ReicliemhacJiia 

 picticornis, is met in Mashunaland and Natal, and the other, 

 Ctenistes imitator, in Natal ; the 3 Zanzibar species, Zethopsus 

 sulcicollis, Tmesiphorus ritgicollis, Pselaphiis longiceps, are also met 

 with in Natal. 



The Cape Colony species number 45, all special ; Natal 14, 7 of 

 which are peculiar to that country ; and Mashunaland 14, 12 of 

 which are not as yet recorded from elsewhere. 



Shape of body variable ; elytra short ; abdomen free and consist- 

 ing of six tough segments ; maxillary palpi oftener big and quadri- 

 articulate, occasionally inconspicuous and with only one joint, but 

 always provided with a small apical appendage ; labial palpi small, 

 biarticulate ; coxae and trochanters variable in shape ; tarsi always 

 trijointed, with the first joint extremely small, and having one or 

 two claws either equal or unequal. 



The family PselaphidcB is very closely allied to the Staphylinidce, 

 and is seemingly a degenerate form of the latter. It is, however, 

 differentiated from the Staphylinido} by the following characters : 

 the abdomen consists of six segments (except in the male of some 

 species, which have a seventh segment), fused together and there- 

 fore immovable ; the labial palpi have never more than two joints, 

 and the last joint is provided with at least one small appendage ; the 



