1018.1 K. If. Cravely: Passnlidae of the World. 11 



the record " Dar-es-Salaam "" and the other " S. Catherina, S. O. Brazil (Staudincer)." If 

 these records are correct, and the species to whicli they refer really do occur both in America 

 and in Africa or Madagascar, the occurrence in America of genera behjiiging to the group 

 typical of Africa would be very natural. But in the ab.sence of direct personal evidence by 

 a collector I find it easier to believe them to be due to mistakes in labelling, numerous 

 though they art>. The position of Mitorhinus and Stephanocephahts therefore requires 

 special consideration. 



-Judging from Kaup's figure (1871, pi. vi. fig. 3) Passahis punchlrons, Dejean, the type 

 of the genus Mitrorhimis, would .seem to be from America and to belong in all probability, 

 to the genu.s Pnssalus as this is defined below ; but Kaup identifies the species with 

 Percheron's Passaius cayor, a species the type of which is recorded as coming either from 

 Senegal or from Brazil. As Percheron's figure (1835, ?'• v, fig. 2) shows this to be an insect 

 of the African type, the former is doubtless the correct locality. There can, I think, be little 

 doubt that cayor belongs in reality to the African genus Pentnlohus ; and I suspect that 

 both Kaup and Kuwert have coafused prolongations of the anterior angles of the head 

 with the tubercles (»n the inner side of these angles characteristic of African forms. 

 Pr«ilial)ly iKis has also Ihmmi the case with the genus Stephanocephalus, the only .species 

 figured, Peicheron"s Passalxs liostilis ( 184 1 . pi. Lxxvii, fig. 4), who.se locality was not knowni 

 to its author, being in all probability African, although Kaup and Kuwert have applied the 

 name to an American species, and have placed other American species in the same genus 

 with it. For the present, then, the form of the anterior margin of the head may be 

 regarded as separating American from Ethiopian groups ; but further evidence on the point 

 is much to be desired, especially as the aberrant genus Pticliopus is to some extent 

 transitional between the two.^ 



Another charartci' by which the American and Ethio))ian groups may be separated is 

 afforded by the posterior plate of the prosternum. In the former this is usually more or 

 less narrowed behind, and is often pointed ; whereas in the latter it is always more or les.s 

 parallel sided and broadly truncate. This plate has the African character in most species 

 of the American genus Paxillvs, but I know of no other exceptions to the rule, although the 

 distinction is not equally well marked in all species. 



The Ethiopian genera fall conveniently into a single subfamily Solenocyclinae. The 

 American genera, on the other hand, fall into three groups, each in my opinion of sufficient 

 size and distinctness for recognition as a separate sub-family. 



The first of these, to which the name P.seudacanthinae may be given, is distinguished 

 chiefly by the presence of a well marked clypeo-frontal suture. Traces of this suture are 

 found also in the species described below under the name ChotidrocephaUis quinqueconiutus. 

 and it is more or less complete in Vindex uguoscendus. The former of these species may be 

 regarded as in this character transitional between the two most primitive genera ol the 

 Pseudacanthinae and Pas.salinae respectively ; and the latter agrees in every other character 

 with the Passaline genus Vindex and not with any Pseudacanthine genus. In spite of these 

 exceptions the presence of the suture in ijuestion remains the most distinctive single 



' See also bolow, j). I ; ;..,.;i.,-,v 



CJ 



