PARASTASI1XI. 31 



Peperonota and Didrepanephorus), and the process of the penulti- 

 mate joint then forms a peculiar flattened lobe, with its flat 

 surface beautifully scored with fine parallel grooves. This 

 evidently serves as a firm gripping apparatus, the enlarged claw- 

 joint being hollowed out beneath and the strong inner claw 

 folding hack at will on to the grooved plate. This claw is 

 sometimes cleft in the male, but more often undivided in both 

 sexes. The outer middle and hind claws are generally deeply 

 cleft, but sometimes entire in the females, and sometimes in both 

 sexes. The outer front and inner middle and hind claws are 

 always simple. The prosternum bears no post-coxal process and the 

 mesostermim is occasionally produced forward, but more often not. 



This Division is remarkable for the striking instances of sexual 

 dimorphism which it includes. Numerous and peculiar differ- 

 ences occur in the genus Parastasia, many females being darker 

 in colour than the males, while they are generally more elongate 

 and parallel-sided. The mandibles, the claw-structure, and even 

 the mesosternum, are different in certain species, but the dis- 

 parity is much greater in some of the allied genera. In Didre- 

 panephorus, Dicaulocephalus, and Fruhstorferia the males have 

 the mandibles greatly enlarged, as in the Stag-beetles, and in 

 Peperonola a remarkable horn or process projects backwards from 

 the pronotum, the only example in this subfamily of a thoracic 

 horn, characteristic as it is of the nearest allied group, the 

 DYBASKXSX. 



Probably most, if not all, of the PARASTASIINI feed in the larval 

 state upon rotting wood. Certain species have been observed to 

 frequent blossoming trees in the adult stage. They are evidently 

 not adapted, like the rest of the EUTELIN^E, for clinging to 

 foliage. 



Key to the Genera. 



1 (6) Ante-ocular ridges not very 



prominent. 



2 (5) Four posterior tibise very spinose 



at their outer edges. 



3 (4) Mandibles of the male not pro- 



duced laterally PEPERONOTA, Westw., p. 32. 



4 (3) Mandibles of the male greatly [p. 34. 



produced laterally DICAULOCEPHALTJS, Gestro,* 



5 (2) Four posterior tibiae not very 



spinose at their outer edges . PAEASTASIA, Westw., p. 35. 

 G (1) Ante-ocular ridges very pro- 

 minent. 



7 (8) Not clothed with dense hair 



above FRUHSTORFERIA, Kolbe, p. 47. 



8 (7) Entirely clothed with dense 



hair . DIDRKPANEPHORUS, 



iolbe, p. 47. 

 [p. 50. 

 !, W.-M., 



The female of Dicaulocephalus is unknown. 



