38 



prothorax margined while in Sericesthis geminata, Boisd., the 

 prothorax has no basal margin. On these grounds I have con- 

 cluded that Scitala and Sericesthis are both valid genera, and I 

 know of no other species than geminata, Boisd. (=pruinosa, 

 Dalm.) that can be attributed to the latter. 



Dr. Sharp's genus Anodontonyx has the labial palpi of Scitala 

 as figured and described by Erickson [a fact which Dr. Sharp 

 seems to have overlooked, — ^probably taking S. pruinosa on 

 Lacordaire's authority as the species of (so-called) Scitala with 

 which he compared his Anodontonyx, — though he probably has 

 seen also some true Scitala for he says that the apical joint of the 

 labial palpi in Scitala is " generally " slender]. Anodontonyx 

 however is perfectly distinct from both Sericesthis and Scitala by 

 another character (mentioned by Dr. Sharp) viz. that the 

 antennal club is short. This is more fully expressed by saying 

 that in Anodontonyx the antennal club is alike in the sexes while 

 in Scitala it is much longer in the male than in the female and in 

 both sexes is considerably longer than that of Anodontonyx. 



Boisduval and Erichson appear to have included species of 

 other genera in their Sericesthis and Scitala respectively (a 

 matter with which I hope to deal in the next part of this series 

 of papers) but that does not appear to touch the validity of the 

 genera inasmuch as their characters should rest in the one case 

 on the characters of the species to which the name was first 

 applied (without a diagnosis) and in the other case on the 

 diagnosis. 



The seven species described by me in my paper referred to 

 above under the name Sericesthis (on the assumption that 

 Sericesthis and Scitala are identical) I must now transfer to 

 Scitala (regarding that genus as distinct from Sericesthis). 



NosPHiSTHis (gen. nov. Sericoidarum). 



Mentum antice vix perspicue emarginatum ; palpi labiales sat 

 breves, articulo ultimo subconico ; palpi maxillares parum 

 elongati, articulo ultimo quam prsecedens vix longiori ; 

 labrum sat prominulum, antice (superne visum) emarginato- 

 truncatum ; oculi sat magni nitidi vix manifeste granulati, 

 antice a cantho profunde incisi ; antennae (speciei typicse) 

 9-articulat8e, clava 3-articulata, quam palporum maxillarium 

 articulus ultimus haud longiori ; prothorax transversus ; 

 elytra striata (haud geminatim) ; tibiae anticse extus 3- 

 dentatse, posticis sat brevibus ad apicem dilatatis intus 

 arcuatis ; unguiculi parvi simplices, sed ad basin lamella 

 membranacea instructi ; sterna pilis longis minus dense 

 vestita. 



