.28 CUECULIONID.i:. 



The two main divisions of the i'ainily may be defined tints : — 



The mentiun comparatively large and Hlliii^-, or 

 nearly lilling-, the buccal cavity behind the 

 mandibles, so as to conceal more or less com- 

 pletely the maxilla3 and their palpi ; the siib- 

 mentum not pedunculate, or at most Avith a 

 A'ery short, broad peduncle (fig. 4, «, c) Adelognathi. 



The mentum comparatively small or narrow in 

 relation to the buccal cavity (or even com- 

 pletely hidden), and leaving the maxillfe 

 entirely or very largely exposed*; the sub- 

 nientum usuidly with a well-marked peduncle 

 supporting the mentum (hg. 3, b-d) Phankrognathi. 



The only serious difficulty wliich arises in connexion witli 

 these characters is in tlie genus Cratojms (BBACiiYDKEiNyT;), which 

 includes several species that Lave a well developed peduncle to 

 the submentum, so that si considerable portion of the maxilla is 

 exposed ; but the few Indian species are fully adeloguathous. 



Division I. ADELOGNATIJI. 



No subdivision of this group tliat has yet been proposed can 

 be regarded as really satisfactory. The following arraiigement 

 is practically that of Lacordaire, with the addition of the Tanykr- 

 HYNCHiiS^'E, which he erroneously placed among the Phanerognaths ; 

 also I have followed Auriviilius (Iv. Vet. Akad. Handl. xxi, no. 

 15, 1885) in separating the Microceein.i; from the Bkachy- 

 DEEiNyE. Although the difference in the form of the scrobe in 

 the latter subfamily and the Otiouiiiiynchiis^^ is for the most 

 part sufficiently distinct, it must be admitted that there are a 

 few African genera whose position in this respect is somewliat 

 dubious, xigain, the dividing line between the OTioiUfHYNcniN.E 

 and EKEMiv'iNiE becomes very line in places, for the octilar lobe 

 on the prothorax in tlie latter subfamily is often considerably 

 reduced, while the bunch of vibrissse in a few cases contains only 

 three or four hairs which may readily be overlooked, as has been 

 done by Paust in more than one case. Even the mandibular 

 scar is far from constituting a i-eally sharp character, for, as 

 Leconte himself recognised, in certain sections it seems to be 

 gradually disappearing; but neither he nor subsequent authors 

 appear to have noticed that in the genus Brachi/cerus, «hich 

 nominally has no scar, there are not a few African species that 



* In the Sn'ALiNyE (fig. 3, c) and Cryptoder.min.e tlie iiioiith-purts are 

 abnormal, there being no emargination of the siibnieiiLum ; the buccal cavity' 

 is thus situated at the extreme apex of the rostrum and is entirely tilled by 

 the mandibles, so that all the other moulli-))arts, including the mentum and 

 niaxilhe, are invisible. 



