﻿1902.] 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  Coleoptcra 
  of 
  South 
  Africa. 
  627 
  

  

  the 
  eastern 
  limit, 
  where 
  the 
  average 
  rainfall 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  

   September 
  is 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  inches. 
  It 
  is 
  in 
  this 
  restricted 
  locality 
  

   that 
  the 
  number 
  and 
  abundance 
  of 
  Hopliin^ 
  are 
  so 
  characteristic. 
  

   Of 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  43 
  genera, 
  and 
  359 
  species, 
  25 
  genera 
  and 
  

   236 
  species 
  occur 
  in 
  that 
  area. 
  It 
  is 
  especially 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  extending 
  from 
  Clanwilliam 
  to 
  Little 
  Bushmanland, 
  and 
  

   forming 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Namaqualand 
  District, 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  

   in 
  incredible 
  numbers 
  and 
  ever-varying 
  species 
  if 
  the 
  rains 
  have 
  

   been 
  plentiful. 
  When 
  I 
  visited 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Colony 
  the 
  rains 
  

   had 
  not 
  been 
  heavy, 
  the 
  fields, 
  nevertheless, 
  were 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  partly 
  

   withered 
  marigolds 
  and 
  daisies 
  containing 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  insects, 
  mostly 
  

   females. 
  I 
  was 
  one 
  month 
  too 
  late. 
  But 
  when, 
  profiting 
  by 
  my 
  

   experience, 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  M. 
  Lightfoot 
  went 
  over 
  the 
  same 
  ground 
  two 
  

   months 
  earlier 
  than 
  I 
  did, 
  and 
  after 
  plentiful 
  rains 
  had 
  fallen, 
  the 
  

   whole 
  country 
  was 
  a 
  vast 
  carpet 
  of 
  huge 
  marigolds 
  tenanted 
  by 
  num- 
  

   berless 
  Hopliin^:. 
  So 
  plentiful 
  indeed 
  were 
  they 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  to 
  

   be 
  scooped 
  by 
  the 
  hand 
  from 
  the 
  flower 
  into 
  the 
  killing 
  bottle. 
  No 
  

   less 
  than 
  10 
  species 
  of 
  Pachy 
  enema 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  restricted 
  to 
  that 
  

   locality, 
  but 
  Anisonyx 
  is 
  not 
  represented 
  there, 
  and 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  

   this 
  genus 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  especially 
  where 
  the 
  Heaths 
  

   {Ericacece) 
  abound. 
  They 
  are 
  more 
  numerous 
  and 
  more 
  varied 
  in 
  

   the 
  Caledon 
  and 
  Eiversdale, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  plentiful 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  

   Cape, 
  Stellenbosch 
  , 
  and 
  Ceres, 
  Districts. 
  Two 
  species 
  are 
  found,, 
  

   however, 
  near 
  Graham's 
  Town 
  and 
  Port 
  Elizabeth 
  respectively. 
  

   These 
  localities 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  their 
  eastern 
  limit 
  of 
  distribution. 
  

  

  Proceeding 
  eastwards 
  from 
  the 
  24° 
  long, 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  Pachy 
  enc- 
  

   mini 
  especially 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  genus 
  Eriesthis 
  ; 
  Pachy 
  enema 
  has 
  

   one 
  representative 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Graham's 
  Town, 
  but 
  on 
  

   the 
  whole 
  the 
  suctorial 
  Hopliin^: 
  are 
  rare, 
  or 
  never 
  very 
  numerous 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  area 
  mentioned, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  last-named 
  locality 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  

   very 
  singular 
  species 
  of 
  Hojplociiemis 
  differing 
  much 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  

   species 
  of 
  the 
  genus, 
  which 
  generally 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  so-called 
  " 
  Karroo," 
  

   where 
  rains 
  are 
  scarce 
  and 
  the 
  vegetation 
  is 
  very 
  scanty. 
  Heteroclie- 
  

   lides 
  are 
  fairly 
  common 
  from 
  the 
  24° 
  to 
  the 
  27° 
  East, 
  they, 
  however, 
  

   grow 
  scarcer 
  as 
  we 
  near 
  Natal, 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  northern 
  species 
  is 
  

   recorded 
  from 
  Eshowe 
  in 
  Zululand. 
  So 
  far 
  they 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  met 
  

   with, 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge, 
  in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  or 
  ^Ethiopian 
  region 
  of 
  South 
  

   Africa. 
  None 
  are 
  recorded 
  from 
  the 
  Orange 
  Eiver 
  Colony, 
  but 
  in 
  

   the 
  Transvaal 
  we 
  meet 
  with 
  three 
  species, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  occurs 
  

   also 
  in 
  Natal 
  and 
  another, 
  the 
  two 
  congeners 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  found 
  

   only 
  in 
  the 
  Cape 
  Colony, 
  in 
  the 
  calyx 
  of 
  the 
  so-called 
  " 
  Sugar 
  bush." 
  

   It 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  note 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  a 
  female 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  

   two 
  congeneric 
  species 
  (Diaplochelus 
  longipcs) 
  from 
  Kanye 
  in 
  

  

  