Mr. J. Walton on the genera Oxystoma and Magdalis. 221 
quite certain of the direction of the hair on the forehead, though 
it appears to be directed forwards, nor of the sex. 
Besides the nme species here described, there have been de- 
scribed two which do not exactly agree with any specimens I have 
seen, viz. M. chrysurus, I. Geoff., Guérin, Mag. Zool. 1832, and 
M. flavicaudatus, Humboldt. 
XXIII.— Notes, &c. on the genera of Insects Oxystoma and Mag- 
dalis. By Jonn Watton, Hsq., F.L.S. 
Fam. CURCULIONID &. 
Genus Oxystoma, Steph., Westw., Spry and Shuckard. 
Mr. Sreruens has created this genus for the reception of the 
following three species, separated by him from that of Apion, 
which he refers to Duméril; but the latter author has taken his 
characters from Attelabus Pomone of Fabricius*, and it is very 
remarkable, that Duméril appears not to have been aware that 
Kirby had previously characterized the genus Apion as a tribe of 
insects which includes that species, consequently the name Oxy- 
stoma of Duméril is cited by Kirby and Schonherr as a synonym 
to that of Apion. I have always entertained considerable doubt, 
from the characters selected by Mr. Stephens, whether Apion 
fuseirostris, Ulicis and Geniste ought to be separated generically ; 
Kirby and Curtis have located them in a separate section in the 
genus Apion, because the rostrum is bent downwards or nutant 
(a character common to many species), and this appears to be the 
chief character upon which the new genus Oxystoma is founded. 
It is generally understood that the female of Oxys. Ulicis, with its 
remarkable elongate deflexed rostrum, is the type of the genus as 
figured and referred to im the ‘ British Coleoptera’ by Spry and 
Shuckard, and is also referred to Ap. Ulicis of Kirby by West- 
wood in his ‘Generic Synopsis’; but Stephens describes the second 
and third joints of the antennz as “ subglobose,”’ whereas they are 
elongate, neither does the form of the rostrum nor the structure of 
the antennze in the male agree with the characters given by him ; 
therefore I think he has drawn them from Oxys. fuscirostris, as 
it stands first in the genus. The three insects in question approx- 
imate rather closely in general habit and affinity to some of those 
species of the genus Apion which are placed by Germar and 
Schonherr in the section that have their antennze seated near to 
the base of the rostrum, and lkewise have the rostrum (when in 
its natural position) deflexed ; for example, the small males of Ap. 
* Dumér. Consid. sur les Ins. tab. 16. f. 6, 1823. 
