2?>0 ]Mr. D. S!mi[)'.s Contributions to the 



bearing- an extraordinary resemblance to one anotliev in 

 appearance and general characters, but distinguished 

 nevertheless by striking and highly important primary 

 and secondary sexual characters. In the case of some 

 of these species (L. piincticeps and L. decisum, for in- 

 stance), after a very careful examination, I am unable to 

 see any satisfactory distinctive characters excejit the sexual 

 ones; and an examination of the male intromittent organ 

 has convinced me that it is extremely doubtful Avhether 

 fertilization could be effected by the sexes of different 

 species, even if attempted. By this I mean that if, for 

 example, the male and female organs in L. opalescens be 

 mutually adapted for the facilitation of fecundation, as it 

 is only reasonable to suppose is the case, then from the 

 great difference we find to exist in the intromittent oro^ans 

 of the males of the exactly similar L. puncticeps, we arc 

 fairly entitled to conclude that fecundation of the female 

 of Z. opah'scens by it would be dif!icult. It may, perhaps, 

 not be out of place to state here my conviction that these 

 modifications of sexual characters will be found to be very 

 directly in relation with those " laws of variation," a 

 knowledge of which is so much to be desired for the 

 fiu-ther elucidation of the question of the differentiation 

 of species. 



1. Lat/u'obitan macrocepkaluni, n. sp. Robustum, 

 nigrum, nitidum, elytris abdomineque nigro-piceis, pedi- 

 bus piceis ; capite magno, crebre fortiter punctato ; 

 prothorace elytrisque parcius punctatis, illo tenuiter 

 canaliculato. Long. corp. 6 j lin. ; lat. (capitis) 1^ lin. 



ISIas : abdomine segmento 7° ventrali apice profunde 

 triangulariter exciso ; segmento G** late triangulariter im- 

 presso, apice emarginato. 



The massive head of this species distinguishes it from 

 all others of the genus. The antennre are stout, shorter 

 than head and thorax, slightly more slender at the ex- 

 tremity than the base ; 1 st joint about as long as the three 

 following together, 3rd longer than 2nd, 4 — 10 differing 

 little from one another in length ; 11th joint slender and 

 pointed, longer than the 10th, rusty at the extremity. 

 The head is rather broader than the thorax ; it is a little 

 naiTowed towards the front, is coarsely and rather closely 

 punctured; the punctuation rugose behind the eyes, a 

 narrow space along the middle, smooth. Thorax fully 



