688 Rev. F. W. Hope on some Nondescript Insects from Assam. 



Nigro-piceus ; inandibulis valdfe exsertis intern^ multidentatis ad basin dente 

 valido supra et infra armatis, apicibus furcatis. Tab. XL. fig. 1. 



Caput depressum, creberrimfe punctulatuin. Thorax convexus, subtilissiinfe 

 punctatus, nitidus, lateribus extrorsum serratis. Elytra piceo-castanea. 

 Pedes concolores, tibiis mediis unidentatis, posticis inermibus. 



I have named the above insect in honour of the venerable Treasurer of the 

 Linnean Society, Edward Forster, Esq., a zealous promoter of Natural History 

 in general, and distinguished for his accurate knowledge of the more diflScult 

 tribes of British Plants, and for his long and faithful services to this Society. I 

 have received it previously from Assam : the specimens in Mr. Griffith's col- 

 lection are small compared with the one figured, which is from Dr. Cantor's 

 cabinet. It may be remarked respecting the Lucanidfe of the East Indies, that 

 individuals of the same species are subject to vary very considerably in size, 

 arising perhaps from scarcity or abundance of food whilst they are in the larva 

 state, or perhaps in consequence of a want of sufficient moisture during sea- 

 sons of drought. It seems necessary that a third section should be formed, 

 to include those species of Stag-beetles which have five leaflets forming the 

 club of the antennae. Two other remarkable insects from the island of Java 

 in my collection belong to the same section ; they are provisionally named 

 in my manuscripts as L.falciger Q.nd L. longipennis ; and in a forthcoming 

 synopsis of the species they will be found minutely described. 



Spec. 2. LucANUS Rafflesii. 



Long. unc. 2, lin. 6. Lat. lin. 8. 



Niger, nitidus ; mandibulis vald^ exsertis ante apicem unidentatis, apicibus 

 obtusis obliqu^ truncatis. 



Caput latum, depressum, creberrimfe punctulatum. Thorax capite paull6 latior, 

 marginibus undique elevatis, elytris nigris glabris, pedibus concoloribus. 



Habitat in agro Assamensi variisque Indiee Orientalis regionibus. 



Affinis L. nepalensi, at major. 



The above-described insect was originally named in my collection in honour 

 of Sir Stamford Raffles : it appears to be widely spread over the Indian con- 

 tinent, as I have seen it in collections from Nepaul, Bengal and Assam ; and. 



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