1062 COLEOPTERA 



Group-SCYDMJENID^E. 



Sciacharis. 



Nov. gen. 



Body elongate, moderately convex, tomeutose. Maxillary palpi 

 not very elongate ; second articulation slender, curved, elongate, 

 shorter than third ; third but little clavate ; terminal minute, aci- 

 culate : labial very short, their last joint small, needle-shaped. 

 Eyes small, not prominent. Antenna implanted between the eyes, 

 gradually thickened, exposed portion of basal joint not longer than 

 second. The mesosternun carinate, concave at each side; meta- 

 sternum large, incurved before the coxae, and somewhat angulated 

 between them. Coxce large, especially the anterior, which are 

 separated by a w 7 ell-marked but narrow channel, the others not 

 distant. Legs long ; front tibia much bent, so as to appear as if 

 broken at the middle ; intermediate formed of two distinct parts, 

 the upper the shorter and quite slender, the lower placed at right - 

 angles to the former, nearly plane above, seemingly pubescent 

 underneath, and much broader ; posterior resembling the middle 

 ones, but with the upper slender part rather longer. Tarsi five- 

 jointed, first to fourth joints decrease in length, fifth elongate, about 

 as long as the preceding four taken together ; claws slender. 



But little doubt exists in my mind as to the propriety of isolating 

 the following species under the name Sciacharis. The extraordinary 

 structure of the tibiae, particularly of the two hind pairs, is a suffi- 

 cient justification. These appear, so far as I can judge, to be arti- 

 culated near the middle ; the upper half represents the natural tibia, 

 the lower is placed in the same line as the tarsus, and, I have no 

 doubt, is used as a tarsal joint, at any rate it has the appearance of 

 an enormously developed basal joint of the foot. 



1899. S. fulva, n.s. Shining, moderately convex, fulvous, 

 sparingly covered with yellowish tomentum. 



Head subovate, smooth. Antenna pubescent, 11-articulate, 

 as long as head and thorax ; second joint as large as visible portion 

 of first ; third and fourth each longer than broad, smaller than 

 second, equal ; fifth and sixth of nearly equal bulk, rather broader 

 than the two preceding, each rather broader than long, moniliform ; 

 joints 7-10 become shorter and broader ; eleventh largest. Thorax 

 longer than broad, widest near the front, narrowed behind, the base 

 bifoveate, the fovese and sides not united by any obvious impres- 

 sion. Scutellum invisible. Elytra wider than thorax (even at the 

 base), considerably rounded laterally, oviform, depressed at the 

 base, with a raised plica near each shoulder. Pygidium but little 

 uncovered. 



Length, f ; breadth, line. 



My unique example was taken from amongst decaying leaves, 

 &c., in a shaded spot near Clevedon, by Mr. George Munro. 



