343 



to food-plant, etc., are better than nothing. Casnallv eollcvtcnl 

 examples in indifferent condition are almost valueless. 



Cera:\ibycidae, Plagith.m vsi x i. 

 Nesithmysus gen. nov. 



Tliis naiiK' is proposed tor a large species of the Plagithniyi-ini. wilh 

 a much wider prothorax tlian that of PIagith})iysiis. this part heing 

 hardly less wide in the middle than the hase of the elytra. The latter 

 are long, less pointed or cuneate than in ['hmitltiiiysus. and the wings in 

 repose are shorter, so that the tips which are bent inwards, can he 

 almost, if not quite, covered by the elytra. Owing to the length and 

 form of the wing-cases, the insect has a heavy and less elegant facies 

 than that of the other genus. The pronotum has a median crest well 

 elevated in front and behind, the ridges on either side of this are repre- 

 sented by black callus lines elevated into strong tubercles posteriorly. 

 The second and following joints of the antennae have only very sparse 

 fine hairs. The hind femora have a well-marked apical club, very sim- 

 ilar to that of some species of Clytarliis. The hind tibiae and tarsi are 

 only thinly clothed with hair .and differ greatly in this respect from 

 normrd Fhigithmysus. Tiie elytra have no definite pattern of markings, 

 being clothed with extremely minute pubescence, but at the extreme base 

 between the scutellum and the shoulders there is an indefinite area 

 clothed with longer and denser yellow hair. 



Op.s. I do not think it possihlc to retain this in-ccr in 

 either of the two genera referred to above, but it i> more 

 nearly allied to CJi/tdi-ltis than to the other. Dr. Shar]i has 

 nlrciidy ])ointed ont that certain s]»ecies described by him, hav- 

 ing intermediate characters, are placed with difficulty. At 

 present, I tind it convenient to assign to PlagWnni/sus all thos« 

 species ^vhicli closely agree in the dense clothing of the hind 

 tibiae and tarsi, althongh this causes some changes in the ar- 

 rangement ad»>])te(l in the "Fanna TTawaiiensis". 'I'liis plan 

 will throw into CJi/ldrliis sdiiic speeies now inchnhMl nndcr 

 Plaf/ithmys-iis. bnt wliich in iicncral facies seem to agree heiiei' 

 with the former. 1 ha\-e alhuhMl to tliis matter l)ecanse one of 

 Uiese trftnblesome forms is (lesei-ilie(l below. 



Nesithmysus bridwelli n. sp. 



Ferruginous or rnfi'scent : the head black, ihor.ax lieneath largely black 

 or dark. A stripe on the median crest of the pronotum (varying in 



