278 Mr. J. Nietner on new Ceylon Culeoptera. 



truucato. Labium maximum, suborbiculatum, coavexum. Man- 

 clibulee parvee, basi obsolete unidentata;, labro obtectse. Auteuuee 

 robustee humeros attingentes, art. 1, 3 et 11 longitudine fere sub- 

 sequalibus, mediocribus, 'i^parvo, rotundato, 4-10 subpequalibus, cum 

 1 1° ovatis. Thorax parvus, capite sesqui minor, transversus, longi- 

 tudine duplo fere latior, infra med. fortius augustatus, basi parum 

 prolongatus. Pedunculus brevis. Elytra apicem versus lenter 

 dilatata, apice fortiter subquadrate truncata. Pedes robusti, sim- 

 plices, subeequales, ant. tibiis profunde excavatis, omnes tarsis 

 brevibus, art. 1° sequentium 2 fere longitudine, subcylindrico, 2, 3 

 gradatim miuoribus, magis minusve triangularibus, 4° magno, pro- 

 funde bilobo, 5° mediocri, unguibus simplicibus, art. 4° subtus dense 

 penicillato. 



45. Creagris labrosa, N. 



C. picea, ore antenuisque, coxis, trochanteribus, femorum tibiarumque 

 apice et tarsis brunneis ; dense punctata obsoleteque pubescens ; 

 elytris striatis. Long. corp. 4^ lin. 



Specimen singulum prope Colombo nocte ad lumen cepi. 



I consider this scarce and interesting insect to form a passage 

 between the Lebiidse and Pericalidfe, but am doubtful to which 

 of these two tribes to refer it, as, although it partakes of the 

 characteristics of each, it is at the same time distinct from 

 both. Distinguished in several respects, its most extraordinary 

 character lies in the curious shape of the mentum. This is, 

 however, easily described as large, of the shape of a horse-shoe, 

 with a long, thin, very pointed tooth in the middle, the apical 

 half of the sides (lobes) being at the same time gently dilated, 

 the apex itself being obliquely cut away from the outer towards 

 the inner side (the inner angle being the most advanced), and 

 slightly dentated at the edge thus formed. Or it may also be 

 described as a fork with the outer teeth somewhat enlarged, 

 truncated at the apex, and so forth. As far as I know, this 

 variation from the usual form of the mentum is repeated in no 

 other Carabideous insect. The other parts of the mouth have 

 not much to distinguish them, with the exception, however, of 

 the labrum, which attains a very extraordinary degree of deve- 

 lopment, occupying rather more than one-third of the whole head, 

 although the latter itself is large and heavij. It is of a sub- 

 orbicular shape, very slightly produced in front into an obtuse 

 angle ; it is vaulted, covers the mandibles, has two longitudinal 

 impressions at the sides of the base, and is highly polished. The 

 head has two impressions in front of the eyes, is densely punc- 

 tured and thinly pubescent ; it is strongly but gradually con- 

 tracted behind the eyes, and formed into a short neck. The 

 antennae are strong, and reach to the shoulders; joints 1, Sand 

 11 are of about equal length, middling, the two former subcylin- 



