116 RHYNCHOPHORA. [Ourcutittnitfa. 



that the anterior tibiae are not denticulate on thc'ir outer margins ; it is 

 very hard, however, to define the family satisfactorily, and still harder 

 to divide it into satisfactory sub-families or tribes ; the genera may, with 

 one or two exceptions, he arranged fairly naturally under the four 

 following sub-families : 



I. Troclianters long, widely separating the coxae and femorn j 



antennae nearly always straight APIONIN.E. 



II. Troehauters short, upper and lower angles of COXEO 



reaching or almost reaching femora.* 

 i. Antennas straight; intermediate coxae oblique ; epimera 



of prosternum often separated by a centro-sternal piece ATTELA IUN.E. 

 ii. Antennas nearly always geniculate; intermediate coxae 

 rounded ; epimera of prosternum meeting at apex. 



1. Mandibles provided externally at apex with a corneous 

 appendage, which usually falls off as soon as the insect 

 emerges from the pupa state, but always leaves a 



cicatrix or scar behind BRACHYRHHININA. 



2. Mandibles without corneous appendage or cicatrix . CPBCULIONIN,*. 



SUB-FAM. Attelabinse. 



This sub-family of the Curculionidse contains two important tribes, 

 the Attelabina and the Khynchitina, which are very widely distributed 

 throughout the world, and contain about a dozen genera, comprising a 

 considerable number of species which in many cases are brightly 

 coloured and conspicuous insects that inhabit various trees and often do 

 very considerable damage by rolling the leaves as cases for their larvae, 

 or by depositing their eggs in young 1 fruit that has just set ; they may 

 be known by having the anterior coxae conical-cylindrical, exserted and 

 contiguous, the central projection of the first ventral segment acuminate 

 at apex, and the segments of the abdomen uneven in length, the last 

 being very small ; the intermediate coxae are oblique ; the antennae are 

 straight, with the scape more or less short, and the pygidium is almost 

 always exposed ; the two tribes may be distinguished as follows : 



I. Epimera of inesosternum widely separated from the inter- 

 mediate coxae ; apices of prosternal epimera separated by a 

 broad centro-sternal piece ; external border of the man- 

 dibles simple ; all the tibiae toothed on their internal 



margin ATTELABINA. 



II. Epimeraof mesosternum almost reaching the intermediate 

 coxae ; apices of prosternal epimera meeting or separated 

 by a narrow centro-sternal piece ; external border of the 

 mandibles cut out into large teeth ; tibiae, as a rule, simple 



on their internal margin RHTNCHITINA. 



ATTELABINA. 



This tribe contains a few genera, which have, however, been very 



* In Nanophyes the construction of the trochanters appears to resemble that of 

 Apion, but it is so closely connected with Cionus that it can scarcely be separated 

 from it, and must therefore be regarded us an exception. 





