l^S 



248 ^Ir. D. Sliaq? s Contributions to the 



roniulecl and indistinct ; along each side of tlie middle 

 •with a series of six or seven punctures, and also outside 

 these sparingly and irregularly punctured. Elytra very 

 small, shorter than the thorax, black and shining, -with the 

 hind margin broadly yellowish ; on each is three series of 

 coarse punctiu'cs, and a few punctures external to these; 

 these series are abbreviated, especially the external ones, 

 and the sutural one is placed in a depression. Hind body 

 a good deal dilated towards the extremity, closely and 

 finely piinctured, dull, Avith a fine greyish pubescence. 

 Legs yelloAV, with the coxaa pitchy reddish; the front 

 tarsi only moderately dilated, hind tarsi rather long, 

 1st joint twice as long as 3rd, 2nd intermediate in length 

 between the two. 



A single female found by Dr. Trail on the 3rd Novem- 

 ber, 1874, but no locality mentioned. 



ScOP^EUS. 



This is another widely distributed genus, and one of 

 which only two or three species have as yet been described 

 from South America. Nevertheless, it is pi'obable that 

 species of it are numerous there, and I here describe seven. 

 Of these seven the three last, viz., aS". distans, S. laxus 

 and S. IcBvis, depart widely in facies from the ordinary 

 species of the genus, and suggest to one greatly, at first 

 sight, our European Tacky usa ferialis; the polished 

 surface, elongate and loosely articulated form, and the 

 greatly developed legs, distinguish these species from the 

 ordinary forms of the genus. As, however, they possess 

 the tricuspidate ligula, which is so characteristic a mark of 

 ScopcBus, as well as all the other characters mentioned in 

 systematic works as distinctive of the genus, I have not 

 thought it advisable to establish a new genus for them. 

 A kindred form has, indeed, been already described by 

 Erichson as a Scopceus ; at least, I suppose from his 

 description of S. pulchellus, from Columbia, that it per- 

 tains to the same group as the species in question. I have 

 also some other species allied to these insects from Rio de 

 Janeiro. The S. cliloroticus is also a very peculiar form, 

 and one which may idtimately give rise to the establish- 

 ment of a separate genus, which, to judge from facies, 

 would probably be as much allied to Lathrohium as to 



Scop (BUS. 



