368 Mr. W. L. Distant on 



PiXODARUS. 



(Fairm. Ann. Soc. Ent. France, 1887, p. 325.) 

 "Mandibles short. Eyes widely separated from one another 

 above, coarsely facetted, and rather deeply emarginate. An- 

 tenna of the male reaching to a little beyond the apex of the 

 elytra; first joint rather short and stout, third nearly twice as 

 long as first and about one third longer than the fourth ; 

 fifth to tenth joints subequal in length, eacli slightly longer 

 than tlie fourth; eleventh joint almost lialf as long again as 

 the tenth. 



" Prothorax transverse, armed on each side with five or more 

 spines, abruptly and strongly narrowed to the base beliind the 

 posterior spine. Elytra rounded at the apex, epipleures 

 broad at the shoulder. Metathoracic episterna parallel-sided, 

 broadly truncate behind. Legs unarmed, except at the apices 

 of the tibise, where each is furnished with two terminal s[)ur3 

 underneath, and with a small spine-like terminal process on 

 the upperside. 



" This genus, though not fitting well into any of the minor 

 groups defined by Lacordaire, seems to come nearest the 

 group Hopliderides, which is made up of the single genus 

 HopUdereSj Serv." [J. C. Galian.) 



Pixodarus pret07'ius, sp. n. 



Head, antennje, pronotum, scutellum, body beneath, and 

 legs black ; elytra ferruginous. 



Head rugose, very coarsely reticulate, front transversely 

 sulcate ; antennas with the basal joint stout and coarsely 

 punctate ; remaining joints more finely and sparingly punc- 

 tate, gradually becoming more slender, and, with the excep- 

 tion of the very short second and the apical joint, with tlieir 

 apices clavate. Pronotum transverse, wider than long, very 

 coarsely punctate, roughly rugose and intricate, lateral 

 margins laminately produced, prominently spined at anterior 

 and posterior angles, between which are about three very 

 small and obscure tubercles or spines ; anterior margin finely 

 and ochraeeously pilose, with a prominent tuft of ochraceoiis 

 hairs near the lateral angles. Scutellum convexly rounded, 

 obscurely tessellate. Elytra very finely and thickly punctate 

 and slightly scabrous; humeral angles rounded, ajjiccs 

 rounded, lateral and sutural margins very narrowly black. 

 Apices of the tibise and the whole of the tarsi beneath ochr;i- 

 ceously pilose. Body beneath thickly and finely punctate 

 and sparingly pilose ; head beneath rugose. 



Long. 35 uiillim. ; max. lat. elytr. 15 millim. 



Hab. Transvaal, Pretoria {Distant). 



The description is that of a single male specimen. 



