84, " [September, 



ON THE SPECIES OF CVCUJUS FOUND IN JAPAN. 



BY Q. LEWIS, F.L.S. 



When I was in Japan I briefly characterized a Cucujus as coccina- 

 tus in the Ent. Mo. Mag., xvii, p. 198, 1881, and rightly assigned it to 

 a place in the Catalogue next to bicolor, Smith, to which it closely 

 corresponds in form, especially in the lateral denticulations of the 

 thorax, but bicolor has a bluish tinge, while coccinatus is black, except 

 in the region of the elytra. Both have red elytra. 0. coccinatus now 

 appears to be confined to the Main Island and Kiushiu, for the speci- 

 mens I refer to in my note (I. c.) as coming from Yezo, I find represent a 

 distinct species, which I propose to call C. opacus. The differences 

 between coccinatus and opacus are as follows: the head has the cephalic 

 lobes in the male not more prominent than in the female of coccinatus ; 

 the thorax is less wide, and, therefore, more round, and the denticu- 

 lations on the sides are much less prominent ; the elytra are relatively 

 shorter, much more lightly punctured, and remarkably opaque, not 

 shining as in coccinatus. In 45 specimens of C. coccinatus before me, 

 all have the sides of the thorax sparsely clothed with black hairs, and 

 the examples of opacus are free of them. 



The largest specimen of Cucujus coccinatus I have measures 

 15 mill., the smallest 10 mill. Opacus measures about 12 to 14 mill., 

 but I have not a long series to base any measurements on. The colour 

 of both insects is, as I have said, black, with the elytra alone red. 



I took three specimens at Junsai, in S. Yezo, in September, 1880, 

 and in Dr. Sharp's collection there is another, which has been found 

 in sawdust containing insects from the same place. 



The Cucujus incommodus, Walker (see Munich Catalogue), is, I 

 believe, a species of Psammoecus, and this statement will not surprise 

 any one who knows anything of the work of this naturalist at the 

 British Museum. Leaving out Walker's species, the genus Cucujus 

 to-day includes 11 species, as follows: — Cucujus Mniszechii, Grouvelle, 

 1874, Japan ; C. imperialis, Lewis (Davidis, Grouvelle), 1881, China; 

 C. bicolor, Smith, 1879, India ; C. Grouvelli, Reitter, 1877, India; C. 

 coccinatus, Lewis, 1881, Japan ; C. opacus, Lewis, 188S, Japan; C. 

 caucasius, Motschulsky, 1845, Europe ; C. licematodes, Erichson, Europe ; 

 C. sanquinolentus, L., Europe ; C. puniceus, Mannerh., 1843, America; 

 C. clavipes, E., America ; C. coloniarius, Olliff, Australia. 



Wimbledon : August lUh, 1888. 



