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III. Description of a new Genus and jSjjecies of Prionidse. 

 By Edmund Thomas Higgins, 



[Read 15th February, 1889.] 

 I TRUST that no apology will bo considered necessary on 

 my part, for presenting to the Society an isolated de- 

 scription of a Coleopterous Insect, when it is considered 

 that it is remarkable in many respects, and forms a new 

 genus, the publication of which will help students to 

 understand the relationship of the allied forms more 

 clearly than would be possible without the knowledge of 

 this form. It is a member of the Longicorn family 

 Prionidce, and tends to conriect the AcantJiopJiorus group 

 (see PI. II. fig. 2) of the Old World, with the DerobracJms 

 group (see fig. 3) of the New World. 



Ommatomenus, nov. gen. 



Genus AcantUoplioro et Borycerce affine, a quibus differt, 

 inter alia, oculis (cJ) infra contiguis, supra valde 

 approsimatis, 

 S . MandibulaB breves, minus latse, extus vix rotunda- 

 tge, apice arcuatee et valde acutee. Palpi breves, 

 maxillares labialibus vix longiores, articulis ultimis 

 subcylindi'icis, truncatis. Antennee longitudine cor- 

 poris, articulis 3-10 apice intus valde productis et 

 minutissime punctatis, opacis. Thorax transversus, 

 lateribus utrinque valde trispinosis ; spinis duabus 

 anterioribus depressis, latis, basi concretis. Elytra 

 elongato-elliptica, angulis suturalibus spinosis. Pro- 

 sternum lanceolatum, apice coxas anticas superante 

 et deorsum spectante. Pedes graciles, femoribus lin- 

 earibus, tibiis supra et infra profunde canaliculatis, 

 tarsis posticis angustis, articulo tertio lobis gracili- 

 bus mucronatis. 

 This genus is distinguished from Tithoes and Acantho- 

 pliorus, two other genera of the same group, by its volu- 

 minous eyes, nearly meeting above and beneath ; from 

 Dorycera (White) it differs in the form of the body and 

 presternum, and in other characters. It presents a great 

 resemblance to species of DerobracJms from Mexico, both 

 in the form of its eyes, the spines of the thorax, and the 

 shape of the antennal joints. 



I may remark that the formation of a new genus is 

 indicated, in a note under Dorycera^ in Lacordaire'a 

 * As mentioned by Lacordaire, Mr. Adam White's name Dorycera is 

 pre-occupied by Meigen for a genus of Diptera. 



teans. ent. soc. 1869. — pakt i. (apeil) . 



