OF NEW ZEALAND. 1097 



Group-GUCUJID^. 

 Picrotus. 



Nov. gen. 

 (Sharp; Trans. Roy. Dub. Soc, 1886, p. 394.) 



Corpus minutum, glabrum, nitidum, capite angusto, exserto, 

 nullo modo deflexo ; antenncd undecimarticulatae, clava abrupta 

 biarticulata ; prothorax grandis, ad elytra arctissime applicatus, 

 margine laterali latissimo, angulis posterioribus productis, supra 

 humeros receptis. Coxce. auteriores et intermedise minutas, giobosce, 

 late distautes ; acetabula anteriora aperta ; prosternum processu 

 ijiagno posterius producto ; coxae posteriores sat magnae, trans- 

 versae, distantes ; abdomen e segmentis quiuque ventralibus com- 

 positum quorum primo ultimoque ceteris longioribus. Tarsi omnes 

 quinque articulati, articulis quatuor basalibus parvis, subaequalibus, 

 simplicibus, ultimo elongate. 



This genus is established for a minute and ver}' anomalous 

 beetle ; the characters permit its location at present among the 

 Cucujidce, though it has an appearance entirely foreign to that 

 family, suggesting an affinity with Thorictidcc, to which, however, 

 it has apparently but little affinity. The front, the middle, and the 

 hind body are so closely united together that it is not easy to dis- 

 articulate them ; and the union between the prothorax and the 

 after-body is so perfect that I could only sever them by taking off 

 the abdomen, and then thrusting them apart by a needle placed in 

 the interior ; on the other hand, the head is exserted and possesses 

 much mobility. The small eyes are very convex and contiguous 

 with the front of the thorax ; the antennjfi are inserted a consider- 

 able distance in front of the eyes in large cavities, quite exposed in 

 front and only moderately separated. The antenn<B themselves are 

 stout, the first joint is globular, rather larger than the second ; this 

 is of similar form ; joints 3-9 are all short, and the tenth is abruptly 

 broader, strongly transverse, rather larger than the terminal joint ; 

 the lahrum is exposed, horny, almost transverse-oblong. The man- 

 dibles oxe corneous, thick at base, strongly curved, acuminate, simple. 

 The yalpi are all short and very broad, the maxillary four-jointed, 

 basal joint small and slender, second closely connected with it by 

 an oblique suture, so that the two look like one elbowed joint, it is 

 about as long as broad ; third joint strongly transverse ; fourth 

 longer and narrower towards the apex, vvhich however is truncate. 

 Maxillary lobes both distinct, the inner slender, the outer robust, 

 both of them pubescent. Ligula exposed, broad, corneous, simple ; 

 labial palpi shaped hke the maxillary, except that they are only 

 three-jointed ; the gence form a short obtuse angular prominence on 

 each side at the base of the maxilla. The pirostermim in front of 

 the coxae is rather large, and arches over the small coxae to project 

 backwards as a broad grooved process attaining the metasternum ; 

 there is no projection of the sidepiece behind the coxae, the cavity 

 consequently being quite open behind. The mcsostcrnum is rather 



