﻿of 
  the 
  Genus 
  Golofa. 
  137 
  

  

  in 
  an 
  arbitrary 
  way, 
  especially 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  certain 
  

   from 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  thoracic 
  horn 
  ( 
  u 
  rarius 
  hoc 
  cornu 
  

   palmatum 
  est") 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  compiled 
  from 
  examples 
  of 
  

   more 
  than 
  one 
  species. 
  In 
  this 
  hardly-to-be-dissipated 
  

   uncertainty 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  best 
  to 
  adopt 
  the 
  conclusion 
  

   which 
  involves 
  the 
  least 
  confusion, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  figures 
  and 
  

   references 
  of 
  later 
  writers 
  generally 
  agree 
  in 
  applying 
  the 
  

   name 
  claviger 
  to 
  the 
  S. 
  American 
  species 
  (although 
  the 
  

   thoracic 
  horn 
  is 
  <l 
  palmate 
  " 
  par 
  excellence), 
  I 
  prefer 
  to 
  adopt 
  

   that 
  view. 
  The 
  males 
  of 
  these 
  three 
  species 
  may 
  be 
  briefly 
  

   distinguished 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Prothorax 
  strongly 
  punctured 
  pizarro, 
  Hope. 
  

  

  Prothorax 
  very 
  finely 
  punctured. 
  

  

  Elytra 
  very 
  deeply 
  and 
  uniformly 
  punctured. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  guildinii, 
  Hope. 
  

  

  Elytra 
  lightly 
  and 
  unequally 
  punctured 
  claviger, 
  L. 
  

  

  The 
  thoracic 
  horn 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  specimens 
  of 
  G. 
  claviger 
  I 
  

   have 
  seen 
  is 
  more 
  massive 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  species 
  and 
  

   produced 
  into 
  three 
  long 
  and 
  sharp 
  points. 
  All 
  the 
  species 
  

   of 
  Golofa, 
  however, 
  are 
  very 
  inconstant 
  and 
  difficult 
  to 
  define, 
  

   and 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  genitalia 
  afford 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  

   distinctive 
  marks. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  described 
  species 
  is 
  Golofa 
  ayeon, 
  Drury, 
  of 
  

   which 
  also 
  the 
  habitat 
  Mas 
  unknown 
  to 
  its 
  describer 
  and 
  

   the 
  type 
  is 
  untraced. 
  Latreille 
  and 
  Gue*rin 
  assigned 
  the 
  

   name 
  to 
  a 
  Peruvian 
  species 
  and 
  were 
  followed 
  by 
  Burmeister, 
  

   while 
  Erichson 
  considered 
  the 
  Colombian 
  insect 
  called 
  

   G. 
  porteri 
  by 
  Hope 
  to 
  be 
  Drury's 
  species, 
  and 
  named 
  that 
  

   figured 
  by 
  Latreille 
  and 
  Guerin 
  G. 
  humboldti. 
  Fabricius 
  

   and 
  Olivier 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  known 
  the 
  insect 
  only 
  from 
  Dairy's 
  

   " 
  Illustrations," 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  curious 
  that 
  both 
  Drury 
  and 
  Olivier 
  

   describe 
  the 
  scutellum 
  as 
  black 
  and 
  the 
  thorax 
  black-spotted, 
  

   but 
  omit 
  these 
  details 
  from 
  their 
  figures. 
  The 
  black 
  scutellum 
  

   is, 
  on 
  the 
  whole, 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  G. 
  humboldti, 
  but 
  the 
  closely 
  

   similar 
  G. 
  eacus, 
  Burm,, 
  is 
  almost 
  equally 
  probable. 
  The 
  

   " 
  olive-brown 
  " 
  hair 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Drury 
  

   is 
  perhaps 
  rather 
  less 
  inapplicable 
  to 
  G. 
  porteri, 
  but 
  the 
  

   " 
  short 
  thick 
  horn 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  seems 
  to 
  exclude 
  it. 
  Here, 
  

   again, 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  least 
  disturbance, 
  although 
  little 
  else, 
  

   appears 
  to 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  Peruvian 
  species. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  

   distinguishable 
  from 
  the 
  Colombian 
  and 
  Venezuelan 
  G. 
  eacus 
  

   by 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  elytra 
  being 
  more 
  dilated 
  in 
  the 
  male, 
  

   the 
  prothorax 
  less 
  punctured, 
  more 
  convex 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  

   horn, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  directed 
  more 
  backwards 
  and 
  rather 
  

   more 
  strongly 
  bent 
  at 
  the 
  end. 
  

  

  Burmeister's 
  G. 
  pelops 
  is 
  not, 
  in 
  my 
  opinion, 
  specifically 
  

   distinct 
  from 
  G. 
  eacus, 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  genitalia 
  giving 
  

  

  