OF TROPICAL AFRICA. 211 



long, with the joints transverse and setose, the last joint being much larger than the 

 preceding, and rounded. The prothorax is nearly square, with the angles rounded off 

 and the posterior margin slightly emarginate in the middle ; it is slightly marginated 

 all round. In my smaller specimen the disc has two impressed punctures placed rather 

 wide apart, and at a little distance in front of the centre of the disc ; the space between 

 the prothorax and elytra is greater than in the preceding species. The elytra are scarcely 

 broader than the prothorax, with the sides parallel ; each has nine simple strije, which 

 are obliterated at a short distance before the extremity. The legs are very robust ; the 

 femora channeled beneath for the reception of the tibiae, which in all the feet are broad 

 and flat, all being nearly of equal size ; the anterior are strongly serrated on the outer 

 edge as well as at the tip ; there is also a sharp point on the inside at the tip, exclusive 

 of the spur ; there is a deep impression along the upper side, into which the tarsi fall 

 back ; on the inside the tibiffi are very rugose, and there is a sharp angular point near 

 the middle ; the four hind tibiae are flat and dilated at a short distance from the base, 

 the extremity being obliquely truncate and toothed, and the inside having a small tooth 

 near the extremity. The tarsi are short, with the underside of the basal joints produced 

 into a short and rather curved point ; in all the tarsi the penultimate joint is distinctly 

 longer than the preceding. 



The abdomen, in both my specimens, is destitute of any appearance of the patch, 

 although one of them, the smaller, from having two impressions on the pronotum, might 

 be considered (from analogy) to be of the same sex as the specimen of Ch. digitata, 

 which has the front of the pronotum marked with a deep puncture, and the abdomen 

 furnished with the two patches. 



Prioscelis, Hope, Col. Manual, iii. p. 128. 



Priopus, Hope, ib. p. 73. 

 Iphius, Dej. Cat. (Sine descr.) 

 Type of the genus, P. Fabricii, Hope, op. cit. p. 127. 

 The following are the only characters given of this genus by Mr. Hope: — " Caput 

 magnum, antennis moniliformibus, articulis quinque ultimis magnitudine increscentibus 

 at pubesceutibus, ultimo elongato, apice conico. Thorax antice et postice latitudine 

 sequalis, lateribus extrorsum convexis. Elytra sicut in Chiroscele. Femora canalicu- 

 lata, bina incrassata denticulata, mediis postice foveatis et subdenticulatis ; posticis 

 fortiter serratis. Tibiae anticae incurvae, sparsim dentatae ; mediis fere rectis, postice 

 [sc. versus apicem] incrassatis et dentatis, posticis valde incurvis, clavatis et intus for- 

 titer serratis." 



These characters are exclusively taken from the type, and would exclude Tenebrio ser- 

 ratus of Fabricius and the other species described below, which I regard as species of 

 the same group. 



