250 COLEOPTERA 



and the difificulty of setting out the insect without breaking it, one 

 antenna, indeed. I was compelled to break off so that it might be 

 examined, the other is entirely concealed in its fossa. 



FAMILY— PECTINICORNES. 



Mentiim large, corneous, nearly always entire. Ligiila without para- 

 glossse, often situated at the* internal face of the chin. Maxillce bilobed; 

 the inner lobe frequently, the external very rarely, horn-like. Mandibles 

 generally differing in the two sexes, often greatly developed in the males. 

 Labnim ordinarily soldered to the epistome. Antennce ten-jointed, 

 geniculated, their three or seven terminal joints pectinate and rigid. 

 Elytra completely covering the abdomen. Coxce transversal ; the inter- 

 mediate occasionally sub-globose. Tarsi pentamerous, simple ; their 

 claws also simple, with an appendage terminated by two bristles between 

 them. Abdomen composed of five sub-equal segments. Metathoracic 

 parapleiirce. simple. 



Group— LUCANID^. 



Ligula membraneous or coriaceous, ciliated, nearly always placed at 

 the internal face of the mentum. Chin entire. Labial palpi inserted 

 near the base and sides of the tongue ; their supports free. Mandibles 

 destitute of molar teeth at their base, differing according to sex, usually 

 very large among the males. External lobe of the niaxillce penicillate. 

 Labrian nearly always soldered to the clypeus. Scutelluni normal. 

 Intermediate coxie transversal. 



Note. — Some New Zealand species exhibit a peculiar structure of 

 the antennse, -their club being quite mobile, very distinct from the rigid 

 pectinate form which obtains in the typical genera of the family, and 

 closely resembling that of the Melolo7ithidce. 



Dendroblax. 



White; Voy. Er. Terr., Ins., p. 9. 



Head narrow, narrowest behind, in front widened and truncated ; 

 mandibles viewed from above somewhat ovate and bent at the end, 

 hollowed, on the outside somewhat angled at the end ; eyes very large, 

 well seen from above ; antcnnce longish, ten-jointed, basal joint nearly 

 as long as the other joints taken together, the joints from the second to 

 the sixth short and roundish, somewhat angular about the middle, the 

 last three joints forming a roundish head, the last rather the largest ; 

 thorax not so wide as elytra, with the sides in front rounded, in the 

 middle considerably notched for the reception of the head, side angled 

 in the middle, behind rather straight, middle slightly convex ; elytra 

 very wide, edge slightly margined ; legs with the anterior tibice wide and 

 strongly toothed on the outside of hind pair, much thickened at the end 

 and hollowed out where the tarsi are inserted, two long lobes on the 

 inside ; tarsi slender. 



This genus comes near Lamprinia and Rhyssonotus. 



