151 Mr. G. J. Arrow on the Lamellicorn 



a primitive condition, as it is found in Passalidee, Geotiupinse, 

 and other primitive groups. Nothing resembling it is found 

 in Dynastinae, but it is not very different from the labium of 

 the lvutelid Peperonota. The loosely-jointed body and long 

 legs are in marked contrast to that genus and its allies and 

 are certainly more suggestive of relationship with Cyclo- 

 cephald. The scarcely developed pre sternal process is a 

 feature adverse to this affinity, and the elongate basal joint 

 of the posterior tarsi is found neither in Cyclocephala nor in 

 Peperonota, but occurs in Desmonyx and Qryctomorphus, two 

 genera which have similar affinities in both directions. A 

 feature found in the female of Peltonotus — viz., the abrupt 

 expansion of the outer margins of the elytra near the middle — 

 is found both in Cyclocephala and various genera of Rutelinoe 

 (e. g. Anomala, Afacraspi^ Fruhstorferid). While recog- 

 nizing the relationship of Peltonotus to both Dynastinae and 

 Rutelinse, it seems best to regard the condition of the labium 

 as the crucial diagnostic feature and to assign the genus to 

 the Porastasia group of Rutelinae, forming the rather hetero- 

 geneous, but probably truly related mass of genera in which 

 the two subfamilies meet. 



Only a single species of the genus (P. morio, Burrn.) has 

 yet been described, for the Melolontha scarabajina, Gyll., 

 originally added by Burmeister, was afterwards referred by 

 him to Cyclocephala, and it is probably really an American 

 insect. 1 have now to describe three new species in the 

 British Museum, in addition to which M. Oberthiir ] obsesses 

 an example of yet another (from North Borneo), unfortu- 

 nately unique, Lut highly interesting from the fact that the 

 prothorax and elytra are prettily decorated with golden-red 

 stripes. 



The two sexes differ consideiably in this genus, but the 

 male alone has at present been described, from a specimen 

 seen by Burmeister in the collection of the Entomological 

 Society of London, taken by Maj.-Gen. liardwicke. This 

 collection is no longer in existence, but the Hardwicke 

 Collection, containing two females of P. morio, is in the 

 British Museum. From the considerable series in our col- 

 lection I here shortly describe tiie two sexes. 



Pdtonotus morio, Burmeister, Handb. v. 1847, p. 75. 



Niger, nitidus, capite, prothoracis lateribus, p3'gidio, pedibus cor- 

 poreque subtus longe rufo-hirto ; capite rugoso, labro integro, 

 clypeo inermi ; prothorace crebre puiictato; scutello vix punctato ; 

 elytris irregulariter punctatis : 



