130 



The antennae are seldom of use for description ; they dif- 

 fer somewhat in thickness, but the basal joints of the funicle 

 are always longer than the others, and the first nearly always 

 longer than the second ; from some directions, however, the 

 second often appears to be longer than, or at least as long as, 

 the first. 



The scutellum, when present, is always small, but it is 

 so frequently either quite absent or concealed by scales and 

 mud, that it is not a feature to be relied upon. It sometimes 

 appears to.be present, moreover, even when really absent; 

 this being due to scales or mud becoming, compacted at its 

 position. 



The base of the abdomen appears always to be margined 

 with a row of large punctures, but these are sometimes almost 

 or quite concealed by the clothing. 



The front coxae vary through ail gradations from touching 

 to widely separated — a most unusual feature in any genus of 

 weevils. Between them the prosternum is always divided ; 

 at the rear of the division (when the coxae are distinctly separ- 

 ated) the derm is truncate, but in front there is a more or less 

 conical or rounded process touching the truncated part. There 

 is a certain amount of variation in the degree at which the 

 claws diverge ; in some the divergence being slight, in others 

 moderate, but they are never either widely divergent or 

 soldered together at the base. 



The derm is often entirely concealed by the clothing, 

 so that to see the colour and sculpture it is necessary to par- 

 tially abrade one or more specimens. The species are also so 

 frequently covered with mud that even the clothing is con- 

 cealed, and sometimes stained. I have had specimens for 

 hours in water, and been afterwards unable to remove the mud 

 only, as if too rough a brush is used the clothing comes off as 

 well as the mud. The punctures always appear to be much 

 smaller than they really are, and the carina of the rostrum 

 and the median impression of the prothorax are often partly 

 or entirely concealed. 



I do not think that any species of this genus should be 

 described unless one or more specimens has been partially 

 abraded. With unique or rare specimens it is not desirable to 

 entirely abrade the surface, but in such cases I have abraded 

 part of the disc of the prothorax and part of the elytra near 

 the suture and base. It is unsafe as a rule to describe species 

 of which only the females are known, but I have described 

 nir/er, as, even if the type specimens are females, they are 

 unusually distinct. 



The clothing is often variegated, and the pattern of the 

 variegation is usually, if not always, variable. The colour is 



