330 Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calabar. 



§ 2. Males witli a projecting blade on the shoulder terminating in a spine. 

 Females narrower, and with the projecting blade rounded off and 

 without a spine. (See PL IX. figs. 18 & I8^) 



11. S ' Lycus prmmorsus, Sclion. Syn. Ins. App. p. 25, pi. 5. 

 fig. 1 ; Westwood, Introd. to Entomol. i. p. 254, fig. 27 (6). 

 2 . Lycus latisshnus, Schon. ibid. fig. 3. 



Var. L. harpaffo, Thomson, Arch. Ent. ii. 76 ; Lacord. Genera Col. pi. 45. 

 fig. 3. 



I know of at least four varieties of Lycus prcemorsus. 



Var. «. jora^morsus (type). The typical form, figured by 

 Schonherr and Westwood, in wliicli there is no median black 

 band across the elytra, but merely two marginal spots and the 

 apical one. This variety has the emargination of the apex of 

 the elytra very distinct. The underside is said by Schonherr 

 to be black. 



This I have not received from Old Calabar. 



Var. yS. harpago. The Lycus Tiarpago of Thomson, which 

 appears to be only a variety Q>i prcBmorsxis. He says it is very 

 nearly allied to it, but differs by its size being greater, by its 

 elytra being more strongly dilated, by the median band being 

 com^Dlete, by the truncature not being so strongly spined, and 

 by its yellow abdomen. Now, as to its size, the difference is 

 too slight to allow that alone to be reckoned as a distinctive 

 character ; and I have specimens agreeing in all other respects 

 with the characters of L, harpago^ but no larger than Schon- 

 herr's typical j!??'ce??iors?^s. Indeed the only difference between 

 one of the Old-Calabar varieties oi prcemorsus and the figure of 

 harpago in Lacordaire's ' Genera des Coleopt^res ' is that it is 

 somewhat smaller. Next, as to the elytra being more dilated, this 

 is the case in my own larger specimens, but not in the smaller. 

 It is a character, or ^aerhaps a deceptio visus, arising from the 

 increased dimensions. The median band, although styled by 

 Thomson complete, is not complete -in Lacordaire's figure, but 

 only interruptedly complete, the two large, broad median mar- 

 ginal patches being only semiunited by a much narrower, 

 black, irregular line, of diverse thickness, interrupted in two 

 parts. I have specimens, both male and female, with the band 

 exactly so interrupted, and others not interrupted at all, others 

 without the miiting line at all, and another with about the 

 whole of the latter half of the elytra invaded by black. This 

 extension of the black colour across the elytra cannot, therefore, 

 be regarded as a character of much importance. The trmica- 

 ture of the apex of the elytra being more feebly emarginate is 

 also a small character ; and I should scarcely like to say that 

 in my specimens it was more feebly emarginate ; in the next 



