Nitidulidce Jrom the Hawaiian Islands. 139 



Haptoncus. 



This genus was established by Murray on four or five 

 species from Ceylon and the Malay Islands. It was cor- 

 rectly indicated by him as a transition form to Epurcea; 

 he indicated, indeed, no character to distinguish it from 

 that genus, except that two dorsal segments are left, he 

 says, uncovered by the wing cases in Haptoncus, and but 

 one in Epurcea. I find this character, however, to be 

 illusory, and to depend on the amount of extension or 

 contraction of the segments. Nevertheless, the genus 

 may be maintained at present; for I find that the an- 

 tennal grooves are less obsolete in Haptoncus than in 

 Epurcea. EpurcBa luteola, Er., from Cuba, should then, 

 for the present, go with Haptoncus, although there is 

 a difference in the underside of the head, owing to the 

 greater develojjraent of the eyes in the Old World species. 



1 may here remark that I do not see in what respect 

 Reitter's Haptoncus pauperculus difiiers generically from 

 Erichson's Epurcea luteola. It is described from St. 

 Domingo, and I have in my collection specimens which 

 agree entirely with Reitter's description. Although Herr 

 Reitter commences his description by the words "^Epurcea 

 lutea (sic) similis,^^ he has not made any statement as 

 to the two species being congeneric, though I feel some- 

 what doubtful whether they are even specifically distinct; 

 on this point the material at my disposition is not sufficient 

 to enable me to speak positively. 



1. Haptoncus tetragonus, Murray. 



Two specimens sent me from Oahu seem to agree 

 entirely with the Ceylon individuals of this species in the 

 British Museum Collection. It seems to me pretty certain 

 that Fairmaire's Epurcea ocularis from Tahiti is the same 

 species. 



2. Haptoncus mundus, n. sp. Tcstaceus, sat nitidus, 

 parcius punctatus et pubescens ; prothorace antrorsum 

 evidenter angustato, basi utrinque leviter sinuato, angulis 

 posterioribus subrectis, nullo modo rotundatis. Long. 



2 mm. ; lat. 1^ mm. 



The thorax is narrowed in front, so that it is a good 

 deal narrower at the front angles than at the hind ones, 



L 2 



