337 



their hind coxeb forbids their being referred to the Pedilidce. The 

 remarkable tarsal structure may, perhaps, be thought equally 

 inconsistent for an Anthicid, but I do not know any family of 

 Heteromera with which it is not also inconsistent. The pro- 

 sternum is excessively narrow (a mere line) in front of the front 

 coxae, which are widely open behind. As I have both sexes of 

 the first species described, there is no doubt of its being genuinely 

 heteromerous. If these insects had been before M. Lacordaire, 

 when he wrote the " Genera des Coleopteres," I imagine he would 

 have regarded them as belonging to a distinct family near the 

 AnthicidcB. 



I have before me six examples in all, which agree in the fol- 

 lowing principal characters : — -Head not joined to prothorax by a 

 distinct neck, eyes very coarsely granulated, pronotum not 

 separated froDi flanks of prosternum by a distinct margin, 

 anterior coxae prominent, contiguous, nearly reaching the front 

 of the prosternum, and widely open behind, hind coxae not 

 contiguous, tarsi heteromerous (the antepenultimate joint pro- 

 duced beneath in a kind of filament, the penultimate very small 

 nodiform). These six examples pertain to five species, and it 

 seems necessary to arrange the five species in three genera, in the 

 first of which the eyes are very large, but not projecting much 

 beyond the general contour of the head, and the intermediate 

 tarsi long and slender ; in the second the eyes are much smaller 

 and conspicuously j^rominent, while the intermediate tarsi are 

 very much shorter and stouter ; and in the third the eyes are 

 very prominent indeed, while the intermediate tarsi are almost 

 as long and slender as in the first. 



I presume these insects are rare, as the only examples I have 

 seen referable to any of the orenera are those described below. 



SYZETON, gen. nov. (? hujus familiae). 

 Palporum articulus apicalis late triangularis, maxillarium per- 

 magnus ; caput breve, prothoraci sat late applicatum ; oculi 

 magni sat grosse granulati ; antennae valida? filiformes ; 

 prothorax transversus ad latera haud marginatus ; pedes sat 

 elongati ; tarsorum articulus penultimus parvus nodiformis ; 

 tarsi posteriores 4 quam tibiae vix vel paullo longiores, horum 

 articulus piimus quam ceteri conjuncti vix brevior vel 

 manifeste longior ; coxae antica? contigute prominentes 

 postice apertae, intermedite posticaeque modice approximat^e ; 

 processus ventralis inter coxas acutus ; sutura ventralis 

 prima in medio fere obliterata ; corpus alatum pubescens ; 

 unguiculi simplices ; tibiarum apice vix spinoso. 



S.lcBtus, &^. \\o\. Oblongo-ovalis ; subnitidus ; subtus pubescens ; 

 supra pilis erectis vestitus ; subtus piceus, supra laite rufo- 



w 



