404 Mr. T. V. Wollaston on the Coleoptera of St. Helena. 



sat profunde, dense, et argute punctate ; elytris profunde striato- 

 punctatis, interstitiis irregularitcr biscriatim punctatis ; antenuis 

 pedibusque clongatis, gracilibus, illis rufo-piceis, funiculi art° 2''° 

 longissimo, his obscurioribus, fcmoribus asperatis, tarsis elongatis 

 art" 3''" late bilobo. 



Long. corp. lin. 3|-4|. 



Mas rostro paululum breviore et crassiore, ad autennanim inser- 

 tionem subquadrate ampliato. 



Fcem. rostro longissimo, gracillimo, tereti, ac paiilo levius punctato. 



Var. j3. ohscurus. — Omnino piceus, subminor(?), ac fere cahTis. 



The comparatively gigantic size and elongated rostrum and 

 limbs of this fine Microxylohlus Avould of themselves suffice to 

 distinguish it from every other member of the group which 

 has hitherto been brought to light ; and although equally 

 brassy with several of the other species, its general aspect is 

 somewhat more in accordance Avith the sidjfamily Cosso- 

 ntdes than is the case with its numerous (and more or less 

 eccentric) allies. The construction of its rostrum, indeed 

 (which, although in both sexes elongated and narrow, is par- 

 ticularly so in the females, whilst in the males it is con- 

 siderably dilated at the insertion of the antenna*), is tolerably 

 suffffestive both of Mesites and Cossonus : and its tendencv to 

 be minutely pubescent (at any rate on the elytra) is another 

 feature which deserves to be especially noticed. Three ex- 

 amples of it are amongst the insects which have been con- 

 signed to me by Mr. Melliss, two of which are a typical male 

 and female, whilst the third is of a dark-piceous hue and less 

 evidently ])ubescent. This latter individual, however (the 

 " var. ^. ohscurus''^ of my diagnosis), I cannot believe to be 

 any thing more than a variety of the other form — a conclusion 

 Avhich is all the more probable, since it is the manifest ten- 

 dency of many of the species to have both a metallic and a 

 darker state*. 



(Subtam. Synaptonychides.) 



Genus Nesiote!^. 



Wollaston, Journ. of Ent. i. 211 (18G1). 



Nesiotes horridus^ n. sp. 



N. elongato-ovatus, nigor, subnitidus, S(]uamis magnis fulvo-cinerois 

 setisquc subercctis grossis plus miuus vcstitus ; prothorace ante 



* Until the recent collection of Mr. Melliss had been placed in my 

 hands, I had barely remarked this tendency to a twofold coloration in 

 the M. Chevrohdii {/. e. the armattts, lioh.), which had been looked upon 

 by me as an emphatically brassy species. Several examples of it, how- 

 ever, wliich are now befure me are very iiearlif as bhick as the M. luci- 

 fitt/us and /nfrrtosiis and tlic dai-lc \iiricfy of the dfhi/is. 



