400 Mr. T. V. AVollaston on the Coleoptera of St. Ihhnn. 



amongst tlie collection of insects taken recently by Mr. ]\Ielli.ss 

 at St. Helena ; and although, of course, totally unconnected 

 with the native fauna of the island, yet, as the species is 

 allowed to figure in the local list of nearly every civilized 

 country, we can scarcely deny it a place in our present enu- 

 meration. 



Fani. Cryptophagidae. 



Genus CuYPTOi'HAUUS. 



Herbst, Kiif. iv. 172 (1792). 



Cri/ptopluujHH badins^ . 



t'ri/ptophiKjus bfidiiis, St., Deutsch. Fna, xvi. 90, t. -".l". f. A (^1645). 

 , Erich., Nat. tier Ins. Deutsch. iii. •ioT (1840). 



Amongst the St.-IIelena Coleoptera of Mr. ^lelliss there is 

 a single example of what seems to bs the c<:immon European 

 Cryptopharjus badius ; and I may add that ^Ir. Rye is like- 

 wise of opinion that it should be referi-ed to that species. I 

 have therefore little he.sitacion in recording the C. badius 

 amongst the insects which have been naturalized in the island 

 through the medium of commerce, though the individual now 

 before me presents perhaps a slight shade of ditference from 

 the ordinary typef. 



Cryptophagus gy'acilipes'^ J u. sp. 



C. obloiigo-ovalis, ferruginous, subnitidus, iibique densissime et 

 valde profunde punctatus, et pube elongatii suberecta albida prae- 

 sertim in elytris obsitus ; prothorace convexo, transverse, postiee 

 vix angustiore, augulis anticis elongato-incrassatis, ad apicem 

 retrorsum aciitiusculis, ad latera minutissime a?(jualiter subserrato 

 (interdum fere simplici) ; elytiis convcxis ; autenui.s pedibusque 

 elongatis, gracilibus, paido pallidioribus. 



Long. Corp. lin. vix 1. 



Several examples of this most distinct and interesting little 

 Gryptophagus are amongst the Ccdeoptera collected at St. He- 

 lena by Mr. Mclliss ; but Avhether they were taken in the 

 houses and stores about the town I am unable to say — though, 

 as the Cryptophagi are insects which are so eminently liable 

 to transmission through the medium of commerce, this is most 

 likely to have been the case. At any rate, however, it differs 

 very essentially from every member of the genus with Avhich 

 I am acquainted; and ^Ir. live, who has })aid unusual atten- 



t After a careful exaniinatiou of this specimen. Mr. Kve says: — "The 

 St.-Helena CniptopJiaijitt is, I think, huiUiis \villu>ut doubt. The only 

 little point in which it seems to ditler is in the outline of the sides of the 

 tliorax bthiiid tlie middle denticle, which is scixrcely so obliquely straif/ht 

 as in the IkkUhx type, boin^' a trific intirular urar tlie ]iostorii r angles; 

 hut 1 truce similar teudcncies in some of uiy undoubted badius." 



