426 COLEOPTERA 



small, concealed; the maxillary very short and stout, joints one to 

 three extremely short. Mandibles robust, short, sub-triangular, obtusely 

 tridentate at their internal side. Head depressed, that of the males 

 very broad, with a protuberance in front of each eye, behind with a 

 narrow neck ; that of the females triangular, and truncated in front. 

 AntenncB straight, slender, filiform, eleven-jointed, the first a little elon- 

 gate and rather thick, eleventh elongate-oval. Eyes small, rounded, 

 very prominent among the males. Prothorax nearly square, its sides 

 rounded, deeply canaliculated above. Legs short, incrassated, little 

 distant at their base, especially the posterior ; tarsi very short, four- 

 jointed, the first and second almost bilobed, third very small, fourth 

 larger, elongate-clavate, with simple hooks. 



Body oblong, sub-depressed, strongly squamose and hispid. 



Note. — Lacordaire associates this remarkable genus with the 

 Bruchides, Dr. Sharp with the Colydiidce ; to me it seems more natural 

 to locate it in a distinct family, as it is quite unlike any member of 

 either of these two groups. 



747. A. WOliastoni, Sharp; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., July, 1876. 



A. corpore superne hispido, antennis pedibusque rufescentibus, subtus 

 nigricante ; antennis articulis duobus ultimis sub-clavatis. 



Long. Corp., 2-3 mm. 



Antenna reddish, short ; the two basal joints stouter than the 

 following ones, joints three to eight small and bead-like, tenth joint 

 sub-quadrate, both broader and longer than the preceding joints ; 

 eleventh joint almost oval, quite as broad and two or three times as 

 long as the tenth. Head very variable in size, abruptly constricted at 

 the neck, the forehead rather convex; it is of a reddish colour and 

 rugose, but hispid, so that the sculpture is concealed. Tliorax trans- 

 versely quadrate, straight at the sides, a little narrower than the elytra, 

 the surface rugose and hispid. Elytra rather elongate and parallel, 

 similar in colour to the head and thorax ; their sculpture very coarse 

 but indistinct, and consisting of rows of coarse punctures separated by 

 narrow interstices, hispid, being clothed with both long and short setse. 

 Under-side pitchy-black ; the inetasternum coarsely but sparingly punc- 

 tured. Legs red, short, hispid. 



Obs. — The structure of the antennae, as well as their insertion, seem 

 to justify the location of this insect in the Colydiida^. The anterior 

 coxcE. are very small, and their cavities completely closed behind ; and 

 this is the only character, so far as I can see, which would throw any 

 doubt on the propriety of the association mentioned. Mr. Wollaston, 

 in calling attention to the peculiarities of this important genus, has 

 already suggested its affinity with the Colydiidce. The New Zealand 

 insect I have described approaches the Aglycyderes setifer closely in 

 appearance ; but it differs in the structure of the antennge. The 

 Colydiidce as a group is one of the less specialized of the Coleopterous 

 groups ; and it is not therefore surprising that we should find some of 

 its members exhibiting wide and puzzling afifinities. If the genus be 

 not accepted as an aberrant member of the Colydiidce, I think there is 



