236 



But as tlie genera at present stand there are exceptions 

 to every one of these characters. That they will all be main- 

 tained I am exceedingly doubtful. That the late Rev. T. 

 Blackburn considered the armature of the sides of the pro- 

 thorax and the clothing of the upper-surface as of only specific 

 importance in the subfamily is proved by his referring ta 

 Edum a species (singuJaris) whose prothorax is quite acutely 

 armed, in addition to its upper-surface being entirely glabrous r 

 he also referred other glabrous species to that genus. 



Gelopteea. 



To this genus Baly originally referred two species, tiiher- 

 cidafa (noted as the type) and geniculata. The latter, in 

 Masters' Catalogue, is placed as an Ar/efinus. Jacoby has re- 

 ferred to Gcloptera , a well-marked Queensland species 

 falhei'tisi), which I am satisfied is congeneric with geniculata. 

 There are in the Museum numerous species •^^2) whose generic 

 features are so weak that they might be referred to several 

 genera, but I refer them all to Gelojjtera . They are all more 

 or less coarsely punctured, and more or less irregularly striated, 

 but the striae are usually deep and regular on the apical slope 

 of elytra. The comparative lengths of the antennae and the 

 proportions of the joints are seldom of use in distinguishing the 

 species, the second joint is nearly always much shorter than 

 the third. Th-e sides of the prothorax are usually distinctly 

 toothed in the middle, but sometimes only gently undulated. 

 They may be placed in divisions, characterized as follows : — 



Div. 1. — Upper-surface glabrous. ^^^^ Eyes distinctly 

 notched. Sides of prothorax dentate or subdentate about 

 middle. Front of prosternal episterna oblique, or feeblv 

 rounded, or feebly incurved. Femora edentate : tibiae dilated 

 to apex, longitudinally canaliculate (the middle pair usually 

 more distinctly so than the others), the four hind ones not 

 notched near outer apex : claws each with a large basal 

 appendix. 



Div. 2. — With the specified characters of B'lv. i, except 

 that the front femora are dentate (two species, however, iUidgei 

 and lateridenR, are extremely feebly clothed on the apical slope 

 of elytra). 



Following is a table of the species in the Museum, with 

 the exception of scifiila : — 



(82) Of these porosa was identified by tlie late Rev. T. Blackburn 

 as a Geloptera. 



(85) The head, however, is occasionally feebly clothed. 



