THE ELACATIM] OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND 



ADJACENT REGIONS 



By Edward A. Chapin 



Of Washington, D. C. 



The material upon which this paper is based was received 

 at various times from Prof. Charles F. Baker, of the Univer- 

 sity of the Philippines. The family has been considered as 

 composed of a single genus, since Ababa Casey was referred 

 by Schaeffer (1917) to the family Cleridae. Several species 

 of the family Elacatidae are known from the New World; two 

 from Japan and one each from Batjan, Ceylon, and Borneo. 

 The family is usually known under the name of Othniidas, based 

 on Othnius Leconte. Elacatis Pascoe has priority of a year. 



The type genus, Elacatis Pascoe, was erected in 1860 as a 

 member of the Melandryidae to include a single species of 

 doubtful affinities. The following year Leconte proposed a new 

 family, the Othniidse, for an American insect, Othnius umbrosus, 

 a new genus and new species. A second species was mentioned 

 at the time, but was described from memory only, the specimen 

 being lost. Thus 0. umbrosus Leconte is the type of Othnius. 

 Elacatis Pascoe has been suppressed as a homonym of Elacates 

 Cuvier, 1829, and Othnius Leconte has taken its place in most 

 of the catalogues. This action was not taken by Kraatz or 

 Lewis but was resumed by Borchmann. 1 A hasty examination 

 of one of the American species revealed certain characters that 

 may be considered of generic value ; if such is the case, Othnius 

 Leconte will stand for the New World forms. 

 ELACATID^ 

 Family characters. — Coleoptera genuina; Heteromera; head 

 somewhat triangular, eyes large and prominent, lateral ; labrum 

 corneous, antennae 11-segmented, arising from beneath the 

 prominent supra-antennal crests, first segment moderately 

 long and thick, second smaller, globular or cylindrical, third 



'Schenkling, S., Col. Cat. Fam. Pars. 2, Othniidae (1910). 



