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II. Descriptions of sonic new species of Brachycerus. 

 By Francis P. Pascoe, F.L.S., &c. 



| Read February '2nd, 1887.] 



Plates I. & II. 



The number of described species of Brachycerus is about 

 260, by far the greater part being from South Africa, 

 and apparently south of the Tugela Paver. They are, 

 on the whole, 'tolerably distinct, but, owing principally 

 to their sculpture, not easy to describe in words that 

 should be unmistakably intelligible. Very few species 

 are figured, and as Schonherr's types, obtained by him 

 just forty-seven years ago, belonged to several collectors, 

 many may now have disappeared ; but the types of the 

 " Coleoptera Caffrariaa" are, I believe, at Stockholm. It 

 is probable that some species here described may not be 

 new ; if so, I hope the figures herewith will compensate 

 for the addition of useless synonyms, for I believe very 

 little will be gained, in a genus such as this, by mere 

 descriptions, except for isolated forms.* 



This genus of weevils, easily recognisable at sight, is 

 not to be absolutely denned, and is another instance 

 that good generic characters in one group may be only 

 of specific value in another. Thus there may be or not 

 be a scutellum ; ocular lobes the most pronounced or 

 not a vestige of them ; straight or sinuated tibia armed 

 or unarmed ; a spined, angular, or a round-sided pro- 

 thorax ; corbels of the posterior tibiae evident or not 

 distinctly apparent, &c. Nor is there a sign of any 

 correlation of these characters with others. Con- 

 sequently, if the genus is broken up, as Lacordaire 

 asserts it ought to be, the number of genera will not be 



- For the thirteen European species, admitted by Stein and 

 Weise, there are forty-three synonyms ; this shows the difficulty, 

 even allowing for a certain amount of variation, of recognising the 

 species from descriptions only. 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1887. PART I. (APRIL.) 



