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



Spec. 10. LUCANUS PUNCTIGER. 



Long. lin. 9|. Lat. lin. 4. 



Ater; corpore punctato nitido, thoracis marginibus exteriiis serratis, elytris 

 sutura parilin elevata glabra insignitis, tibiis 4 posticis unidentatis. 



Totum corpus suprh et infra nigrum, nitidum, punctatum. Caput antic^ 

 rugoso-punctatum. Thorax marginibus externis serratis. Elytra striato- 

 punctata, sutura parilm elevata glabra insignita. Pedes subrngosi, tibiis 

 quatuor posteriori bus unidentatis. 



The above insect appears to be the female of some hitherto unknown Luca- 

 nus; there is an immature variety of it with dark mahogany-coloured wings 

 in Mr. Griffith's collection. 



Having now described ten new species of Lucanus from Assam, I proceed 

 to add some few observations respecting the group. 



M. Latreille divided Lucanus into two, and Mr. W. Sharp MacLeay into 

 five sub-families. The latter author also formed two sections of Lucaims, 

 according as the club of the antenna consisted of three or four articulations ; 

 a third section ought to be added, when the leaflets of the club consist of five 

 joints, with the addition of a spurlike joint succeeding them. Now as Luca- 

 nus Forsteri and five other species have the club consisting of five leaflets, 

 there is ample ground for instituting a third section, which may therefore 

 properly be denominated Pentaphylla. There can be little doubt that the 

 above insect must eventually be formed into a distinct genus; but as at pre- 

 sent I am merely describing species, I pass onwards to more material points. 

 Thunberg, in his Monograph of Lucanus, published in the first volume of the 

 Moscow Transactions, forms his three divisions from the characters of the 

 mandibles ; by which it appears, first, that they are furcate ; secondly, simple, 

 with the inner side dentated ; and thirdly, simple and unarmed. Such are 

 the leading characters adopted by authors in their subdivisions of Lucanus. 

 It appears to me, however, that other points well worthy of attention have 

 been neglected (some, indeed, I may say, almost entirely omitted) ; namely, 

 those which relate to the absence or presence of armature on the tibiae. I 

 therefore here recommend them to notice. 



