146 Mr. D. Sharp on 



Algeria, and in the other direction to Japan, and even in 

 Yunnan. It is probably occasionally carried about with 

 timber, but this cannot have much affected its wide dis- 

 tribution. There is no reason for supposing that any of 

 the other species are increased in the area of their dis- 

 tribution by commercial means, as timber is not imported 

 into most of the countries in which the species live. 



Taxonomy. 



Oriocephalus has been placed in the group Aseminm 

 of the great subfamily Cerambycides, a group of only a few 

 genera, but as to the composition of which systematists 

 have veiy widely differed. Lacordaire (Gen. Col., viii, 

 p. 205, as Asemidcs) assigns to it five genera, Asemnm, 

 Notlwrhina, Cyamophthalmns, Tetropium, Crioceplialns. 

 Thomson (Syst. Ceramb., p. 463, as Ascmitte) places in it 

 nine genera, excluding Tetropium, but adding five other 

 European genera. Leconte and Horn (Class. Col. N. Amer., 

 ed. ii, 1883, as Ascmini) adopt Lacordaire's view, 

 Cyamophtlialmus being, however, unknown to them ; and 

 the same remark applies to Schiodte (Danmark's Ceramb., 

 p. 507, as Asemini), who also did not include Notlwrhina. 

 Duval (Gen. Col. Eur. Ceramb., p. 125, as Crioccphcdites) 

 associated Criocephalus, Cyamophthalmus, Tetropium, placing 

 Asemum and Notlwrhina in a distinct group (Asemites). 

 Ganglbauer and Bedel, who have, each one, published an 

 excellent work on the European Cerambycidse, have not 

 dealt at all with the question of minor groups. Kraatz 

 has recently added the genus Megasemum (Berlin. Ent. 

 Zeitschr., 1879, p. 97) without, however, giving any char- 

 acter that would distinguish the genus from Criocephalus. 



On examination it appears that none of the genera 

 hitherto associated with Criocephalus are closely allied to it, 

 except Megasemum. Criocephalus possesses the very ex- 

 ceptional character of having only one spur on the front 

 tibia, while the other genera usually associated with it 

 have two. 



Criocephalus syriacus, Reitt., is here made a distinct 

 genus, Cephalocriits ; it and Megasemum agree with Crioce- 

 phalus in the unicalcarate tibia and are extremely closely 

 allied to it. 



Megasemum was distinguished by Kraatz solely on the 

 strength of shorter antennae. This however does not hold 



