260 



be certainly distinct in point of sex, differing in the structure 

 of the pygidium and apical ventral segment. If Dr. Sharp were 

 right concerning the sexes of ^4. llarti it is probable that my 

 A. (Sericesfhis) parvipes would have to be deemed the female 

 of .4. plan/'ceps, but I hesitate much to accept this conclusion 

 because, in addition to the objection arising from the presence 

 of differences that can hardly be non-sexual among my speci- 

 ments of plan/reps, I find differences between that species and 

 parvipes which do not seem likely to be sexual, especially in 

 the maxillary palpi (the penultimate joint of which is in plani- 

 ceps notably longer than in jjtfrv'qjcs). If it were not for the 

 irreconcilable difference between the sculpture attributed by 

 Sharp to the pygidium of Ilarti and the sculpture of the cor- 

 responding part in planlctpii and parvipes^ I should feel little 

 doubt that the latter two are identical with what Sharp de- 

 scribed as male and female of llarti. I may add, however, 

 that I am unable to understand Sharp's statement that the 

 prosternum of llarti has only a "single" carina behind the 

 coxae, since that seems to be intended as a character to dis- 

 tinguish it from A. vigilans, in which the prosternum is said 

 to have a ''prominent acute lamina" behind the coxae, with no 

 reference to the presence of two or more carinae. A. planiceps 

 has a single small cariniform projection behind its coxae. 



.4. vigilans, Slip. I am regretfully compelled to disregard 

 this species, as incapable of identification. The diagnosis fur- 

 nished by its author would apply to at least half-a-dozen 

 sjDecies known to me, and there is nothing in the appended 

 note which distingushes it from any one of four of the species 

 before me. As, however, Sharp makes no mention of his 

 species being pruinose or iridescent, and states that the hind 

 angles of the prothorax are rounded off — and in the only non- 

 iridescent species known to me and resembling vigilans in size 

 and colouring the hind angles of the prothorax are not round- 

 ed off — it is probable that I have not seen A. vigilans. Of 

 the species known to me, .4. rhalceus, Blackb., is nearest to 

 agreement with Sharp's description, and were it not for its 

 iridescence I should name it "vigilans, Shp. (?)." T do not find 

 it to be the case with these insects that iridescence fades with 

 age. 



A. graviroUix, sp. nov. Ovatus ; convexus ; modice nitidus; 

 subglaber ; purpureo-brunneus supra laete iridescens, clypeo 

 antennis palpis pygidio pedibus corporeque subtus brun- 

 neo-testaceis ; antennis 8-articulatis, flabello perbrevi ; 

 clypeo confertim, fronte sat crebre, minus subtiliter punc- 

 tulatis; prothorace quam longiori fere duplo latiori, antice 

 minus angustato (latitudine majori superne visa nonnihil 

 ante medium sita), supra subfortiter sat crebre (latera 



