4] 
the same species. Whether the Australian species referred by 
Sharp and Fairemaire to this Indian genus //oronotus are satis- 
factorily placed there or are better regarded as generically dis- 
tinct (in which case my name Palmerstonia will stand) I am not 
in a position to determine positively, as I have not an example 
of any Indian species for comparison, but it may be noted that 
according to Burmeister (the author of the genus) and Lacor- 
daire, one of the generic characters of Horonotus consists in the 
prothorax being armed with an excavation and also one or more 
prominences in both sexes. In my Palmerstonia and in the only 
Australian species attributed to Horonotus of which the female is 
known (#. duplex, Shp.) the prothorax of the female is quite 
even; this appears to me to be an important character and to 
render justifiable the use of a distinctive generic name. 
SEMANOPTERUS. 
S. rectangulus, sp. nov. Ovalis; sat latus; nitidus; piceus, 
capite prothoraceque nigris, antennarum clava rufescenti ; 
subtus longe sat dense rufo-pilosus; capite transversim 
rugato tuberculo conico inter oculos armato; prothorace 
quam longiori plus quam dimidio latiori, minus crebre (in 
medio obsolete, sed in depressione crasse squamose) punctu- 
lato, antice angustato, lateribus sat fortiter rotundatis mox 
ante basin subito fortiter incurvis hine ad basin (superne 
visis) rectis, angulis anticis sat prominulis posticis acute 
rectis ; elytris 4 costatis (costa suturali inclusa), interstitiis 
sat crasse nec crebre nec profunde punctulatis ; tibiis anticis 
extus fortiter (maris quam feminz magis acute) tridentatis ; 
segmento ventrali 6° punctulato, postice vitta transversali 
levi marginato ; processu prosternali angusto carinato. 
Maris prothorace antice fossa magna rotundata profunda, postice 
sulco longitudinali in medio dilatato, impresso ; segmento 6° 
ventrali postice emarginato. 
Femine prothorace longitudinaliter sulcato, sulco et ante et pone 
medium dilatato ; segmento ventrali 6° simplici. Long., 7 
alate 4 1. 
It is extremely difficult to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion 
as to the limits of species in this most perplexing genus; speci- 
mens taken in company and certainly seeming to be of but one 
species vary considerably in the puncturation of the upper sur- 
face (especially in the distinctness of the prothoracic punctures 
and in the extent to which the punctures of the elytral inter- 
stices invade the edges of the coste) and even in the width of 
the prothorax. The insect described above is however easily 
recognisable by the peculiar outline of the prothorax which is 
very suddenly and strongly contracted a little in front of the 
