1906. J COLEOPTERA OP THE GENUS SCIOBIUS. 275 



and without impressions, densely covered with greenish-grey scaling 

 and with a white lateral stripe. Elytra ovate in $ , much narrower 

 in S , sulitruncate at base, sides slightly rounded, bi-oadest about 

 middle ; upper surface convex, with fine stride containing close 

 punctuation which is continued to apex ; the intervals of about 

 equal width, almost plane, quite smooth and shining ; colour 

 black, with dense even scaling, which is greyish or brownish with 

 a dull golden-green reflection, the suture and extreme margins 

 being whitish. Legs moderately stout, ferruginous or testaceous, 

 with fine grey scaling, the anterior tibiae straight extei'nally in 

 2 , distinctly curved towards apex in the c? • 



Type d $ in the Stockholm Museum. 



Cape Colony : Grahamstown {Miss Daly & Miss Sole). 



An aberrant species with no near allies. The depressed and 

 appi'oximated eyes in conjunction with the comparatively narrow 

 and elongate rosti^um will at once distinguish it ; bvit these 

 characters scarcely justify the creation of yet another monotypic 

 genus. Boheman states that the rostrum of the S is not carinate, 

 but this is incorrect, for the carinae are present in a specimen 

 captured by Drege which I have examined, although less distinct 

 than in the § . 



Doiihtful Species. 



41. SCIOBIUS PAIVANUS Woll. 



S.paivaoms Woll. Ann. Nat. Hist. (3) ix. 1862, p. 22. 

 "aS'. ovatus, nigro-fuscus sed squamulis parvis demissis alhidis 

 parce nebulosus, rostro utrinque carinato ; prothorace hrevi, 

 subcojiico ; elytris profunde pimictato-striatis setisque erectis 

 rigidis obsitis, obscure albido-tesseUatis ; antennis, tibiis 

 tarsisquefusco-ferrugineis. 

 " Long. carp. lin. 2|. 

 " Habitat ' ad varias leguminas spinosas regionis littoralis.' — 



Dom Welwitsch." 

 I have been quite unable to identify this species, nor do I know 

 where the type is to be found. Mr. Arrow has kindly searched 

 through the Wollaston types in the British Museum, and informs 

 me that S.paivanus is certainly not among them. It is impossible 

 to say for certain from the description only whether the species 

 really does, or does not, belong to the genus Sciobius. The absence 

 of the central rostral carina and the presence of erect, stiff bristles 

 on the elytra are both aberrant characters. But it is the locality 

 (Angola) which makes the point specially doubtful, seeing that 

 all the other species of the genus are confined to extra- 

 tropical S.E. Africa. Moreover, Wollaston was probably not 

 quite clear as to the distinctive characters of Sciobius, as the 

 other species described by him proves to be a Phlyctinus. It 

 appears likely, therefore, that paivanus, when rediscovered, will 

 be found to belong to Systates or some other allied genus. 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1906, Yol. I No XIX. 19 



