270 M. H. Jekel — Tentamenta Entomologica. 



others (Tych. meliloti, &c.) the fourth ring is also more produced 

 downwards than usually. 



This abnormal conformation of the second ring of the abdomen 

 has led Mr. Thomson to the erection of a separate tribe as above re- 

 corded ; but this character is only appHcable to Schonherr's Stirps I., 

 a few species of his Stirps II., and to Miccotrogus and Sihynes, which 

 indeed, when reunited, form a very natural group. Schonherr's 

 Stirps II., based on the normal shape of the rostrum, "Rostrum 

 subtenue suhlineare," in opposition to Stirps I., "Rostrum basin 

 versus crassiu^, apice attenuatum," is heterogeneous, since it includes, 

 as above said, some species (trivialis, Sch., auricollis, Sch., tibialis, 

 Sch., also amplicollis, Aube) closely alUed by their general consti- 

 tution, the subsericeous tomentosity of their body, the shape of the 

 second abdominal ring and of the tibiae, &c., to Stirps I., although 

 their rostrum be not exactly " apice attenuatum " as in Miccotrogus. 

 All the other species of Stirps II. — so far removed in their essential 

 characters from Stirps I., and so wrongly intercalated by Schonherr 

 and all subsequent authors between tomentosus, canescens, (fee, and 

 cuprifer, picirostrls, &c., all closely allied species— have their abdo- 

 minal rings constructed after the normal type, and most of them 

 bear a greater likeness to other groups of Erirhinidae. The analogy 

 of most of them with some species of the artificial genus EHrhinus 

 is so great, that Schonherr himself formerly ranked two South 

 African species in that genus, retaining at the same time a variety 

 of one of them with Tychius*. 



Entirely distinct from " TycMina," as here restricted, the great 

 majority of Stirps II. present the three following types : — 



I. (Ti/pusl.). Scutello mediocri, conspicuo ; tibiis posticis (ut anticis) 

 intus ad apicem aut angulato- aut spinoso-ampliatis, apice ipso unco 

 horizontali aucto. Abdomen segmentibus ventralibus 2-4 utrinque 

 paululimi (h. e. normaliter) angulatim productis. Corpus squamis plus 

 minusve crassis, brevibus tectum. Notarifortnes : {Pachytychius, Jekel) 

 — Typus : Tych. sparsutus, 01., Sch. 



il. ScuteUo inconspicuo ; tibiis posticis apice intus baud (extus plus 

 minusve) ampliatis, amplitudine obUque truncata, apice ipso truncate, 

 ecalcarato. 



A. (Typus II.) Articulo 1° funiculi antennarum valde elongato, 3-7 

 brevibus, subsequalibus ; thorace valde ampliato ; elji:ris brevibus a basi 

 ad apicem sensim angustatis ; segmento secundo abdominis ad latera 

 quam sequentibus paulo magis angulatim producto, sed mediiun 3* 

 baud attingente. Corpus breviter ovatum, politum, squamis parvis 



* Sch. Gen. et Sp. Ourcul. iii. p. 308, 38 et 39 ; iii. 421, 33. ; vii. ii. 309, 38 et 39. 



