Cvleoptera from South Africa. 3o5 



collections. Spinola did iiol think his spj'cies would prove 

 even congeneric, but he relied <»n the grooving of the femora, 

 a very common character which occurs in a greater or less 

 degree in other genera of Necrobiides and Enopliides, and 

 would very probably have not been mentioned by Laporte. 



It is, huwt'ver, more probable that the species are distinct. 

 Before makers of catalogues place specific names as syno- 

 nyms, they should satisfy themselves that some competent 

 specialist has had both insects before him and at the same 

 time. 



Ilydnucera punctipennis, Bohem. 

 Hydttocera pundipennii, Boheiu. Ins. CafFr. i. fasc. ii. p. oil. 



1 have already (Trans. Ent. Hoc. 1877, p. 260) remarked 

 that Hydnocera is an essentially American genus. The 

 Eastern species prove on examination to have a wholly 

 different antennal structure, and have been separated under 

 X\\Q wvimG Neohydnufi ; and while I admit that 1 cannot at 

 present discover good characters by wliic'.i the present insect 

 might be generically separated, yet I feel contident such will 

 be found, unless the insect can be considered not truly 

 endemic. 



Two examples sent by Mr. Marshall appear to hi identical 

 with this ; but the tarsi are darker than Boheman's descrip- 

 tion would lead one to expect, and in one at least are nearly 

 black. 



1 believe they wore captured at »Salisl)Uiy ; -4990, GSO'i. 



Opetiopalpus rubricollis, Kl. 



Opetiopalpia rubrkollis, Kl., Gorli. Ann. .t Mag. Nat. Ili>t. IW), v. 

 p. 75. 



The locality for these examples is Natal, Frere, under dried 

 cow-dung. 



Opetiopalpus caffrariua^ .^p. n. 



Niger, elytris cyaneis, aut«nnis pedihusqiie testaceis, tarsis ad 

 apicem infuscatis ; capite prothoraceqiie creberrime, minute, 

 elytris a Vjasi ultra medium lurliter seriatim fore ^.Tosse punotatis, 

 inde laivibus. 



Long. 3 millira. 



Ilah. Maslionaland, Salisbury {Mar.shtdl). 



The head and thorax are black, inclining to be pitchy, and 

 with the whole body are densely covered with fioccose pile; 

 they are densely punctured, so as to be dull ; the elytra are 

 shining, dark blue, and with series of very large oblong 



