ColeojJtera of Japan. 57 



Very distinct from the other species of the genus by its peculiar 

 sculpture, which recalls that of a small Chlamys. The thorax 

 is densely punctate, but there are two large spaces in front of the 

 base that are somewhat elevated, and are less punctate, and in 

 front of these there are two or three obscure smaller elevations. 

 The punctuation of the elytra is irregular, and each wing-case 

 bears two longitudinal series of elevations that are not punctate. 

 The eyes are contiguous at one small spot in each sex. The male 

 has the front tibiae rather more slender and elongate than they are 

 in the female, and the truncature of the extremity of the middle 

 tibiae remarkably elongate. 



A good series of specimens on a species of evergreen- 

 oak. 



RHYNCHITID^. 



This family, as well as the Attelabidce, forms an 

 exception to the normal mode of closure behind of the 

 anterior coxal cavities. Nevertheless, in this respect it 

 is very different from the Attelabidce. In the former 

 family the apices of the epimera are widely separated 

 b}' a piece that I have called the centro-sternal piece ; 

 whereas in Rhynchitidce the points of the epimera some- 

 times meet, but sometimes are separated by the centro- 

 sternal piece, which latter usually remains small, being, 

 however, larger in Aderorhinus than in any other genus 

 in which I have observed it. This character, though 

 variable in the family from species to species, appears 

 to me to offer a valuable means of separating genera. 

 Thus HJiynchites differs from Deporaus in Laving the 

 apices of the epimera joined, they being separated by 

 the interposition of the centro-sternal piece in Deporaus. 

 This character necessitates the separation ofR. hungari- 

 cus and R. bicolor auct. from the other Rhynchites, as 

 they have the epimera separated at their apices, and I 

 propose for them the name of Merhynchites.* 



* Merhynchites nov. gen. Bhynchitidis af&nis, sed prosterni 

 epimeris apicibus a prosterno separatis. Rostrum elongatum. 

 Pygidium baud occultum. To include R. hungaricus and R. bicolor, 

 auct. The R, bicolor of Leconte, Ehynch. N. America, p. 7, con- 

 sists of more than one species, as, on examination of two of his 

 so-called "races," I find there are good structm-al characters to 

 distinguish them. 



