I 



I 



( 367 ) 



XIV. The Dasylinae of South Africa (Coleoj^tera). By 

 G. C. Champion, A.L.S., F.Z.S. 



[Read April 5th, 1922.] 



This paper is based upon a study of the comparatively few 

 known S. African Dasytinae, two allied E. African insects 

 being included for comparison. More than half of the 

 former are referred to the genus Pagurodactylus Gorh., 

 some of the species of which have the general facies of 

 various Malachiids, thus forming a sort of connecting link 

 between the last-named group and the Dasytids. The 

 extensible lateral vesicles of the body are wanting' in 

 all the Dasytinae, and the males never have a claw-like 

 superior prolongation of the second joint of the anterior 

 tarsi such as is to be found in certain genera of Malachiids, 

 e. g. Atlalus, Ebaeus, etc. One new genus, Dasytophasis 

 (Pering. in lift.) has pecuharly formed antennae in the q, 

 and another, Aj)lerodasyfes, resembles a Staphylinid. The 

 presence of the cosmopolitan genus Acanfhocnemus Ferris 

 in Rhodesia, has been recorded by me in Ent. Mo. Mag., 

 1922, pp. 77-79. 



The material examined includes that contained in the 

 British Museum in London, and in the Museums at Gape 

 Town and Durban, the Cape specimens having been kindly 

 lent by Dr. Peringuey. The examples in our National 

 Collection were mostly collected by Dr. G. A. K. Marshall, 

 the late H. C. Dollman, and Mr. R. E. Turner, some of the 

 last-named gentleman's captures having been received 

 during the preparation of this paper. 



The types of the S. African species named by Gorham, 

 as well as those of a few others described by Boheman 

 and Redtenbacher, liave been examined. Tliree Dasyles 

 diagnosed by Thunberg in 1821 remain unidentified, as 

 well as the following insects described by Pic : Psevdopec- 

 teropus, type P. nigerrinivs Pic (L'Echange, xix, p. 178, 

 1903), Cape Colony (this probably belongs to the Dasytinae) ; 

 P. pallidoiiolalus Pic {op. cil. xxiii, p. 132, 1907), Dunbrody 

 (this seems to be a Paguwdaclylus, with a longitudinal 

 black streak on each elytron) ; Pagurodactylus dofweeli Pic 

 {op. cit. xxiii, p. 132, 1907), Port Ehzabeth; and Xamerpus 

 obscurus Pic {op. cit. xx, p. 28, 1904), Zululand. Micro- 

 jidistus subconvexus, var. nigricolor Pic {op. cit. xix, p. 179, 

 1903), Dunbrody, is represented by a single example in 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1922. — PARTS III, IV. (PEB. '23) 



