Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. 455 



ScARiTEs, Fabr. 



1st Division of Dej. Intermediate tibia ivith two prominent 

 external spines. 



1. Scarites Hercules, raihi. PI. XII. fig. 4. 



Niger, subdepressus ; tibiis anticis tridentatis, postice baud den- 

 ticulatis ; mandibulis magnis, fere usque ad apicem dentatis, 

 thorace longioribus ; mento valde concavo, cum duabus foveis 

 profundis et rotundis in medio ad basin ; tborace trausverso, 

 duplo latiore quam longiore ; elytris elongatis, thorace triple 

 longioribus, subquadratis, subparallelis, margiuatis, pone me- 

 dium paulo dilatatis, carina basali, dente humerali, et carina 

 longitudinali ex humeris orienti paratis, subtiliter punctato- 

 striatis, ad basin et lateribus usque ad apicem papillosis. 



Long. 23-20 lin., lat. 61-5^ lin. 



A fine large species. Black and shining. The head and 

 mandibles broad and massive, but varying in size. Mandibles 

 longer than the thorax, bicarinated on the exterior side, declive 

 at the tip, dentated interiorly almost to the tip, the teeth con- 

 sisting of one or two larger ones at the base, and three or four 

 smaller ones before them. Antennae black or piceous, the 

 basal joints rounded and shining, the rest flattened and pubes- 

 cent, with a broad polished line running along them both above 

 and below. Head smooth, with two deep longitudinal fovese 

 turning away in front nearly at right angles towards the an- 

 tenna ; wrinkles more or less distinct radiate from these depres- 

 sions ; an irregular depression lies in the margin just behind the 

 labrum, which, as in the other species of this genus, is small 

 and transverse, rounded on the sides, and toothed in the centre ; 

 a very large and prominent projection behind the eye encroaches 

 on the posterior half of it j a few scattered, very faint punctures 

 and wrinkles may be seen about the vertex. Thorax transverse, 

 twice as broad as long (taking the measurement of the breadth at 

 the widest, and of the length at the middle), sloping gently from 

 the anterior angles to the fold or tooth on the margin, and rapidly 

 from thence to the base; dorsal line distinct to the anterior mar- 

 ginal line, which is faint ; space along that line marked with 

 short, faint, longitudinal lines or folds. Scutellum situated on 

 the peduncle, basal portion somewhat rugose ; prescutellar space 

 coarsely rugose, except in front and on the sides, where it is 

 smooth. Elytra elongate, a little more than three times the 

 length of the thorax, subparallel and subquadrate, margined, 

 the margin dilated a little behind the middle, faintly punctate- 

 striate, the base and margins covered with small papillae; three 



