1898.] of the Colcoptcra of South Africa. 399 



not to be met with anywhere else, except sometimes flying at sunset. 

 The Clavifferidie seem to be befriended and adopted by the ants, 

 which derive some benefit from their presence amongst them, and 

 may be really termed myrmecophilous ; the Faussidce, on the 

 contrary, feed on the larvai and pupa? of the ants, and force their 

 presence amongst the ants by strength or intimidation by their 

 voluntary emission of caustic gas, the contact of which appears to 

 he much dreaded by the ants, as I have many times witnessed in 

 Abyssinia with many different species of Paiissidce and ants, and 

 more recently at Cape Town with Pausszis lineatus, Thunb., and 

 Acantholepis capcnsis. Those insects I call myrmecobious. 



Cossyi^hodes and Thorictus are always found with the ants, either 

 inside the galleries or sticking to the stones covering the ants' nest ; 

 but under what conditions they are living amongst ants is a thing 

 which I do not know. If they are not myrmecophilous, they are 

 certainly at any rate myrmecobious. 



Teibe BEYAXINI. 



Gen. BEICHENBACHIA, Leach, 



Catal, p. 90. 



Eeichenbachia achillis, C. Schauf., 



Catal., p. 96. 



This species varies to a great extent. 



I have already mentioned (loc. cit.) a female variety from Muizen- 

 berg and Cape Town, in which the second and third dorsal segments 

 of the abdomen are sharply spinose, whilst in the types the second 

 dorsal segment alone is sharply mucronate. I have now another 

 variety sent to me from Port Elizabeth by Dr. Brauns, which I 

 name inferior, and both the male and female of which differ from 

 the type by the size, a trifle smaller, a lighter-coloured body, and 

 especially the antennae, which are rufous instead of brown, and also 

 by a lesser development of all the organs. 



Male : The second ventral segment, has a large but not deep trian- 

 gular depression, on the third and fourth there is a small transverse 

 depression, on the last one a large but not deep rugosopunctate 

 depression, with a smooth patch in the centre ; intermediate femora 

 not quite so thick ; metasternum not so strongly impressed ; the spurs 

 of the fore and intermediate tibiae are as in type. Length 1-70 mm. 



