SCOTT—COLEOPTERA; HYDROPHILIDA, HISTERID At 207 
the outer angle, and with the outer margin shortly ciliate above: maxillary palpi with 
the 2nd joint incrassate distally, 3rd joint shorter than 2nd, 4th joint longer than 3rd. 
Labium (PI. 14, fig. 7) with the mentum trapezoidal, transverse and slightly impressed in 
the middle in front; lobes of the ligula projecting and densely ciliate ; palpi short and 
minute, densely ciliate, the basal joint very short, 3rd joint narrower and a little shorter 
than the 2nd. 
Elytra with regular series of punctures, without strize except in P. atomus, in which 
a very fine sutural stria is present. Wings present and fully developed in all the three 
species, over 14 times as long as the elytron. Prosternum short, elevated in the middle 
in front, the elevated portion sloping somewhat on either side, but not carinate: behind 
the coxee it does not end in a free process. Mesosternum (PI. 14, figs. 9—11) elevated 
in the middle ; the elevated portion does not form a narrow keeled lamina, but a margined 
area varying in form and shape in the different species, but always ending anteriorly in a 
ventrally-projecting point (see Pl. 14, fig. 9, a@ and b): behind, the mesosternum is divided 
from the metasternum between the coxze by a transverse suture.  Metasternwm elevated 
in the middle, not sharply or suddenly, projecting forward between the cox but not 
keeled. Abdomen composed of 5 ventral segments, the basal one with a median longi- 
tudinal carina. Tursi (Pl. 14, fig. 8) 5-jointed, joints 1—4 short and subequal in length, 
joint 5 considerably longer; the short basal joint is not always easily visible. 
Type of the genus: Paromicrus carinatus, sp. nov. 
Paromicrus is akin to Omicrus Sharp (Trans. Ent. Soc. London, 1879, pp. 81, 82), 
from the Hawaiian Islands. I have a specimen of the type of that genus, Omicrus 
brevipes Sharp (l.c.) before me. The great difference between it and Paromicrus lies in 
the form of the mesosternum ; in Omicrus this forms in the middle a sharply-elevated, 
narrow, linear lamina, continuous with the elevated and forward-projecting part of the 
metasternum, whereas in Paromicrus it forms a broad margined area differing in form in 
the different species, and produced into a ventrally-directed point in front. The middle 
part of the metasternum is much more sharply and strongly elevated in Omucrus. The 
maxillary palps of Omicrus are formed (as stated by Dr Sharp, /.c.) much as in Mega- 
sternum : their 2nd joint is much more incrassate than in Paromicrus, and the terminal 
joint appears narrower and more tapering towards the apex. Moreover, Onucrus brevipes 
is completely different in appearance from any of the species of Paromicrus: its shape is 
not the same, its elytra are not explanate at the sides and have not the series of 
punctures, &c. 
Three species of this genus were found: none of them is confined to one island, but 
I found each of them in Mahé, Silhouette and Praslin, and P. atomus also in Félicité. 
P. carinatus and P. thomasseti were obtained only in the high endemic-forest districts, 
but P. atomus was also found in some places in the lower country. They are found either 
under the bark of decaying wood, or (in the case of P. carinatus and P. thomasseti) 
between the leaf-bases of growing precinctive palms*. They are sometimes very 
abundant, and on some occasions I obtained a large number of specimens from a single 
* See vol. xiv. (1910) of these Transactions, p. 24; and cf. vol. xv. (1912) pp. 225, 226. 
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