On Fossil Arthropods in the British Museum. Go 



]II, — Fossil Arthropods in the British Museum, — IJI. 

 By T. D. A. COCKEUELL, University of C<»loia(lo. 



The present part deals wholly witli Coleopterous elytra from 

 the Il^ocene. 



Mr. R. J. Tillyard *, describing- some fossil beetle elytra 

 from Australia, remarks: — "The placing of single elytra, 

 however perfect, can seldom be more tlian a matter of con- 

 jecture, since there are scarcely any types of sculpture that 

 are confined to one family only. But, where the fossil 

 s[)ecimeii is well enough pres rved, it is nevertheless usual to 

 name it. Thus, a number of what may be termed ' genera of 

 convenience' have arisen, of which it nsay be said that each 

 one serves to gather togetiier, as a single gioup, all those 

 fossil elytra which show correspondence in slia[)e and scnlp- 

 tuie, within certain limits. An example of such a geims is 

 Adtuiosyne, Handlirsch, from the Ipswich beils. Under this 

 name are now comprised no less tlian ten species, which 

 might belong to the Hydrophilidfe, Parnida', or Tenebrioni(la% 

 the type of elytron which they represent being commonly 

 found in all three families." 



In the case of the elytia described below, the uncertainty 

 referred to by Mr. Tillyard exists ; though it might, perhaps, 

 be removed, at least in part, by one more familiar with the 

 C )leoptera of the world. An intensive morphological stuily 

 of Coleopterous elytra, with large (piantities of material, would 

 probably reveal many significant diagnostic features, which 

 could be seen in the fossils. In the meanwhile, however, all 

 these elytra present excellent specific characters, and are, I 

 t .ink, perfectly recognizable. Tiiey can accordingly be used 

 in stratigraphy and in esliinating the resemblances and 

 ditl'erences between Cenozoic faunae. For these reasons alone 

 it appears justifiable to nuike them known. 



Carahites eunealuSj sp. n. (Fig. 1.) 



Elytra 8*5 mm. long and slightly over 4 wide, the base 

 broadly truncate, the apex narrowed but obtuse, the outer 

 margin gently curved ; ten delicately punctured and feebly 

 impressed strige, the outer one failing below the humeral 

 angle, and supplemented by a short stria a short distance 

 mesad of it ; a tine curved sulcus or im[)ressed line, inde- 

 pendent of the strise, extending inward and downward from 



* Proc. Liun. Soc. New South Wales, xlii. (1918) p. 74<J. 

 Ann. (£• Mag. N, Hist. Ser. 9. Vol. vi. 5 



