340 Mr. G. Lewis on 



Gnesis helopioides, Pascoe. 



Gnesis helopioides, Pasc. Journ. Ent. p. 477 (1866). 

 Tromosternus Haagi, Har. Abh. Brem. p. 131 (1876). 



This species is figured in l Aid to Identification of Insects,' 

 pi. xxiv. p. 158. 



Hab. South and Central Japan. Not very common. 



Helops araneiformis, Allard. 



Helops araneiformis, All. Rev. Helop. vrais, L'Abeille, xiv. p. 67 

 (1876). 



This species was omitted in my list of Japanese Tenebrio- 

 nidae (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 6, vol. xiii. p. 484, 1894), 

 nor does the name appear in the ' Zoological Record ' of 

 1876. The species only measures 7 mill., and is described 

 doubtfully as belonging to Helops. 



Plesiophthalmus brevipennis, sp. n. 



Subelongatus, niger, nitidus, leviter convexus ; capite rugose punc- 

 tato ; thorace subtilissimepunctulato ; elytris subtilissime striato- 

 punctatis ; antennis pedibusque obscure runs. 



L. 13| mill. 



Black, shining, with a slight bluish tint, antennas and legs 

 dull red ; the head rugosely punctate, lateral ridges, under 

 which the antennas are inserted, distinctly elevated ; the 

 thorax rather wider than broad, anteriorly rectangular, ante- 

 rior and lateral margins finely but clearly raised, surface 

 polished, with a very fine sparse punctuation, most sparse on 

 the disk ; the elytra relatively short as compared with P. nigro- 

 cyaneus, Motsch., highly polished and very finely striate- 

 punctate, interstices very feebly (almost obsoletcly) convex, 

 with a punctuation sparse and very fine. The male has the 

 last ventral segment emarginate. 



The type of this species is much smaller than any example 

 of P. nigrocyaneus I have seen, and possibly the sculpture 

 and colour of the body and legs may vary as much as in that 

 species ; but still there are three good characters by which it 

 may be recognized, viz. the greater elevation of the antennal 

 ridges, the feeble surface-sculpture, and the shorter elytra. 



Hab. Oshima (Ferrie). I have only seen one male 

 example. 



