the Species of Catascopus. 467 



Length -^* inch. 



From Dorey, In Mr. Wallace's collection. 



This is a remarkable species, elongate in form, with small head 

 and broad square thorax. It seems to rnn away from the normal 

 Catascopus, but has so many of the characters of the genus that I 

 prefer placing it as a Catascopus to increasing the number of 

 genera in this family of insects — genera which seem to run into 

 each other by such fine lines of demarcation that it is very difficult 

 to say where one commences or another ends. The general 

 imprint of similarity which nature throws over a certain group of 

 species seems often to point out genera better than any rigid cha- 

 racters or forced lines of partition. The species under considera- 

 tion stands alone, and is not likely to be confounded with any 

 other that I am acquainted with. 



7. Catascopus ceneus, W. W. S. (PL XVII. fig. 2.) 



The colour of the head, elytra and thorax is a bright, shining, 

 bronzy green, the latter with the sides margined with copper 

 colour ; the parts of the mouth, antennae, tibiae and tarsi purplish- 

 black, the former with the six apical joints inclining to rufous. 



The head is elongate, slightly constricted behind the eyes, the 

 upperside very polished and shining, and having two longitudinal 

 depressions between the eyes, running into an undulating space 

 immediately in front. The eyes are small and prominent. The 

 antennae are rather long and stout. 



The thorax is about as broad as the head, elongate quadrato- 

 cordiform, much contracted posteriorly, with the angles acute and 

 prominent ; the sides are narrowly margined, the anterior margin 

 curves slightly inwards, the posterior margin is straight. The 

 upper surface is very smooth and sliining, with a central, narrow, 

 longitudinal depression running from the base to near the anterior 

 margin, where it forks right and left towards the anterior angles. 



The elytra are broader than the thorax, about once and three- 

 quarters as long as broad, with the sides nearly parallel, slightly 

 swelling out a little below the middle ; the shoulders are promi- 

 nent and rounded. The apices of the elytra are rounded, and 

 rather deeply emarginate, with a broad pointed tooth at the com- 

 mencement of the emargination, and a small tooth at the apex of 

 each elytron. The upper surface of the elytra is smooth and 

 shining, each elytron having nine, nearly equally spaced, longitu- 

 dinal, shallow, finely punctate striae, which, near the shoulder and 

 on the sides, are slightly waved in outline. The underside of the 

 body is bronzy-green, smooth and shining. 



