402 Mr. T. V. Wollaston on the Coleoptera of St. Helena. 



limbs, as still to justify my original conclusion that many- 

 species even yet remain to be detected. 



I may here add that the members of the second of the two 

 sections under which I distributed the Microxylohn have an 

 acute, more or less conspicuous spine towards the base of the 

 upper edge of their femora; and for this, lest hereafter it 

 should perchance be found desirable to separate it as a distinct 

 group, I proposed the subgeneric name of Thaumastomerus. 

 It would appear, however, that in 1858 Boheman (Res.Eugen. 

 141, tab. ii. f. 7) published one of the exponents of that parti- 

 cular section (according to Lacordaire, Gen. vii. 327, note 2, 

 my M. Chevrolatn) mider the name of '^ AcantJiomerus ar- 

 matus ;" so that if ever the two divisions should be treated as 

 distinct genera, the title of the one with armed thighs will 

 have to be Acantliomerus^ and not Thaumastomerus. My own 

 belief, however, is, that the whole of the species which com- 

 pose the two sections are so intimately connected that it would 

 be exceedingly unwise, on account of the spinose femora of 

 some of them, to attempt to draw a line of generic demarca- 

 tion between them. But, be this as it may, the specific title, 

 at any rate, of my M. Chevrolatii will (assuming Lacordaire's 

 identification as correct) be compelled to yield to that of ar- 

 matus, under which it was previously published by Boheman. 



The three species above alluded to, which have to be added 

 to the St. -Helena list, may be enunciated as follows : — 



Microxylohius dvmidiatus^ n. sp. 



M. ovato-fusiformis, niger, nitidulus ; capite rostroque parce et le- 

 viter punctatis ; prothorace magno, convexo, subquadrato-ovah, 

 in medio rotundate latiuseulo, profunde sed vix confertim punc- 

 tato ; elytris breviusculis, rugulosis, pimctato-striatis, interstitiis 

 uniseriatim punctatis, interdum (saltern postioe) setulis minutis 

 cinereis (vix obsei-vandis) parce obsitis ; an tennis rufo-piceis ; 

 pedibus breviusculis, piceis. 



Long. Corp. Kn. l^-lf. 



Two examples of this little Microxylohius were amongst a 

 former small collection (transmitted to me more than a year 

 ago by Mr. Melliss) from St. Helena. Although with abun- 

 dant distinctive featm'es of its own, in certain respects it is 

 slightly intermediate between the lacertosus and lucifugus^ 

 combining somewhat the size and outline of the former with 

 the less opaque and more punctured surface of the latter : yet 

 neither in outline nor in sculpture is it in any wise identical 

 with either of them. It is a small species (apparently not 

 much, if at all, larger tlian the lacertosus) ^ and has a faint 

 tendency, under a high microscopic power, to be studded pos- 



