(AGL er) 
V. On the Genus Hilipus, and its Neo-Tropical Allies. 
By Francis P. Pascoz, F.L.S., &c. 
[Read March 2nd, 1881. | 
Hilipus is a genus of Curculionide closely allied to 
Pissodes and Hylolius; Germar mostly referred the 
species he described to the former. The Munich cata- 
logue enumerates no less than 220 species, and a few 
more have since been described by Dr. Kirsch. The 
collection of the British Museum and a large number of 
named specimens in my own, as well as a cursory 
examination of the fine collections of M. Chevrolat, and 
of Mr. Fry, and an attentive examination of the 
descriptions of the missing species in Schonherr’s great 
work, have enabled me, I hope, to avoid redescribing 
any of the old species. I have, however, often found it 
very difficult to make quite sure. The descriptions, 
although very full, are rather the descriptions of indi- 
viduals than of species; especially has no allowance been 
made for size, proportion, or variation of colour ; all are 
described with a minuteness which, when there is a 
discrepancy in any character, throws a doubt, however 
slight, on the identification.* 
For Lacordaire Hilipus is a ‘‘ group of genera,” as, 
notwithstanding the large number of species, it is not 
often that we can bring more than three or four together | 
in unmistakable affinity. The majority are isolated, or 
are only connected by a character that has nothing 
correlative. : 
Nevertheless, if we are to have any definition of 
Hilipus, it is necessary to adopt characters to a certain 
extent arbitrary ; and thereby to exclude such species as 
’ 
* With regard to size, it is often simply confusing. For instance, 
here is one taken at random: Hilipus Okeni, we are told, is half 
the size of H. trachypterus, H. tuberculatus is scarcely larger than 
H. Okeni, H. echinatus is half the size of H. tuberculatus. Re- 
ferring to H. trachypterus as the standard, so to say, we learn that 
it is twice the size of H. onychinus, and for this we must go to 
Germar’s ‘ Insectorum Species.’ 
TRANS. ENT. soc. 1881.—pPaRT I. (APRIL.) 
