﻿298 
  Dr. 
  Sharp 
  on 
  the 
  Rhynchophorous 
  

  

  and 
  Litocerus, 
  although 
  Lacordaire 
  placed 
  them 
  in 
  

   different 
  primary 
  divisions. 
  Finally, 
  I 
  may 
  add 
  that 
  

   he 
  did 
  not 
  make 
  a 
  complete 
  revision 
  of 
  the 
  family, 
  but 
  

   carried 
  over, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  faults 
  previously 
  

   existing 
  in 
  Schonherr's 
  work. 
  For 
  instance, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  Tropideres, 
  he 
  admits 
  the 
  impossibility 
  of 
  defining 
  it, 
  

   and 
  states 
  that 
  it 
  cannot 
  remain 
  in 
  its 
  present 
  condition, 
  

   but 
  makes 
  no 
  alteration 
  in 
  it. 
  

  

  Under 
  these 
  circumstances, 
  I 
  regret 
  very 
  much 
  that 
  I 
  

   am 
  obliged 
  to 
  refer 
  about 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  Japanese 
  

   Anthribidce 
  to 
  this 
  most 
  unsatisfactory 
  genus, 
  especially 
  

   as 
  by 
  so 
  doing 
  I 
  increase 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  either 
  defining 
  

   or 
  dividing 
  it 
  ; 
  for 
  I 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  extend 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  

   the 
  structural 
  variations 
  included 
  in 
  it, 
  while 
  by 
  de- 
  

   scribing 
  some 
  species 
  intermediate 
  between 
  forms 
  that 
  

   might 
  previously 
  have 
  been 
  treated 
  as 
  generically 
  dis- 
  

   tinct, 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  dissolving 
  the 
  genus 
  is 
  increased. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  I 
  have 
  felt 
  the 
  impossibility 
  

   of 
  dealing 
  with 
  this 
  family 
  in 
  a 
  satisfactory^ 
  manner, 
  and 
  

   some 
  years 
  ago, 
  when 
  dealing 
  with 
  the 
  New 
  Zealand 
  

   species, 
  I 
  endeavoured 
  to 
  evade 
  the 
  difficulty 
  by 
  treating 
  

   all 
  the 
  species 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  genus 
  Antkribus. 
  

   And 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  late 
  Dr. 
  Leconte 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  

   he 
  had 
  experienced 
  similar 
  obstacles 
  in 
  dealing 
  with 
  the 
  

   N. 
  American 
  forms. 
  A 
  complete 
  revision 
  of 
  the 
  classi- 
  

   fication 
  of 
  this 
  family 
  is 
  certainly 
  a 
  pressing 
  necessity, 
  

   the 
  confusion 
  about 
  it 
  being 
  at 
  present 
  very 
  great. 
  

  

  ASEMOEHINUS, 
  UOV. 
  gen. 
  (TOPHODERIDES, 
  Lacoi'd.). 
  

   Kostrum 
  modice 
  elongatum, 
  apicem 
  versus 
  paruui 
  latius, 
  scrobi- 
  

   bus 
  posterius 
  fortiter 
  convergentibus, 
  profandis. 
  

  

  The 
  insect 
  for 
  w^hich 
  I 
  establish 
  this 
  genus 
  appears 
  

   from 
  Lacordaire's 
  table 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  nearly 
  allied 
  to 
  

   Tophoderes, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  differs 
  decidedly 
  by 
  the 
  very 
  

   deep 
  scrobes, 
  which 
  converge 
  strongly 
  behind 
  so 
  as 
  

   almost 
  to 
  meet 
  on 
  the 
  under 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  head, 
  and, 
  in 
  

   addition 
  to 
  this, 
  the 
  apical 
  dilatation 
  of 
  the 
  rostrum 
  is 
  

   wanting. 
  The 
  antennae 
  are 
  moderately 
  long, 
  with 
  a 
  

   three-jointed, 
  moderately 
  long 
  and 
  broad, 
  club 
  ; 
  the 
  

   basal 
  joint 
  is 
  impressed 
  and 
  curved 
  in 
  front, 
  and 
  is 
  

   about 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  second 
  joint 
  : 
  the 
  insertion 
  is 
  quite 
  

   apical. 
  The 
  eyes 
  are 
  rather 
  short 
  and 
  placed 
  laterally. 
  

   The 
  prsebasal 
  carina 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  is 
  slightly 
  sinuous, 
  

  

  