19. 

 RHIPIPHORUS PARADOXUS. 



Order Coleoptera. Fam. Mordelladae Lat. 

 Type of the Genus Mordella paradoxa Linn. 



Rhipiphorus Fab., Lat., Sec. Mordella Linn. 



AntenncB inserted between the eyes, distant, 1 1 -jointed, basal 

 joint largest, sub-obconic, second smallest, the 8 following in the 

 males flabellate or bipectinated, terminal joint ver\- Ion? and 

 filiform (f. 6.) : third joint longest in the females, singly branch- 

 ed, a.s well as the 8 following. (6. a,) 

 Labrum coriaceous, porrected, semioval, ciliated. (1.) 

 Mandibles arcuated, acute at apex, without teeth, hairv exter- 

 nally. (2.) 



Maiilhs ver}- small, slightly bilobed, ciliated : Palpi hair\', 4-joint- 

 ed, first joint ven.' small, second and fourth the longest, trun- 

 cated obliquely. (3.) 



Mentum elongated, narrow in the middle, terminating in a blunt 

 point : Palpi 2-jointed, hairy, basal joint the smaller, terminal 

 clavate. (4.) 

 Head cordiform, very small, not visible from above. Eyes not emar- 

 ginate. Thorax very much arched., trilobed, the centre behind pro- 

 duced into a scutellary angle. Scutellum none or obscure. Body 

 elevated, arcuate, laterally compressed, very acute. Elytra elongated, 

 shorter than body, acuminated at apex, gaping. Wmgs folded, as 

 long as body. Tarsi simple, posterior 4-jointed, the others 5-jolnfed ; 

 middle and posterior legs longest. Tibiae tcUh spurs. Claws bifid 

 at apex. 



Pabadoxus Lirm. Faun. Suec. 831. Fab. Ent. Syst. ].pars2. 111.5. 

 Mars. Ent. Brit 491.9. 

 Black, pubescent, punctiired. Thorax deeply and widely chan- 

 nelled in the centre, side lobes testaceous. Elytra testaceous in 

 the male, black at the apes, black in the female slightlv tinged 

 with testaceous. Wings fuscous at apex. Abdomen orange, 

 anus black, sometimes entirely black. Claws testaceous. 



In the Author's and other Cabinets. 



This beautiful and interesting insect, which is the only spe- 

 cies that inhabits Britain, was considered a few years back one 

 of our most valuable acquisitions, being only met with acci- 

 dentally, from our ignorance of its habits and economy ; but 

 having been discovered in its natural habitation bv mv friends 

 Dr. Leach and W. S. MacLeay, Esq., the attention of natu- 

 ralists was called to the subject, and it has since been taken 



