﻿1902.] 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  Coleoptera 
  of 
  South 
  Africa. 
  663 
  

  

  at 
  apex 
  than 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  and 
  reflexed 
  at 
  the 
  tip 
  in 
  the 
  male 
  and 
  the 
  

   female, 
  but 
  occasionally 
  acuminate 
  and 
  more 
  sharply 
  dentate, 
  and 
  

   more 
  deeply 
  emarginate 
  at 
  tip 
  in 
  the 
  female 
  {vulpina, 
  vestita, 
  fallax) 
  ; 
  

   prothorax 
  rounded 
  laterally, 
  a 
  little 
  attenuated 
  in 
  the 
  anterior 
  part 
  ; 
  

   scutellum 
  triangular, 
  longer 
  than 
  broad 
  ; 
  elytra 
  plane, 
  covering 
  only 
  

   the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  propygidium 
  ; 
  pygidium 
  vertical 
  in 
  the 
  male, 
  sloping 
  

   a 
  little 
  in 
  the 
  female 
  ; 
  all 
  claws 
  double 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  

   E. 
  stigmatica, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  hind 
  ones 
  are 
  single 
  ; 
  the 
  inner 
  claw 
  is 
  

   robust 
  and 
  cleft 
  at 
  tip 
  and 
  the 
  outer 
  one 
  is 
  slender 
  but 
  nearly 
  as 
  long 
  

   as 
  the 
  outer 
  and 
  deeply 
  cleft 
  at 
  tip 
  in 
  the 
  anterior 
  legs, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  

   intermediate 
  and 
  posterior 
  ones 
  the 
  outer 
  claw 
  is 
  robust, 
  and 
  the 
  

   inner 
  very 
  slender, 
  both 
  the 
  hind 
  ones 
  are 
  simple 
  ; 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  

   covered 
  with 
  sub-lanuginose 
  and 
  squamose 
  yellow 
  hairs 
  and 
  scales, 
  

   except 
  E. 
  vulpina, 
  and 
  the 
  hind 
  tibiae 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  are 
  hardly 
  thicker 
  

   than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  ; 
  the 
  apical 
  inner 
  spur 
  of 
  the 
  anterior 
  tibia 
  is 
  

   only 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  species 
  the 
  maxillae 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  pluridentate. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  the 
  species 
  but 
  one, 
  E. 
  vulpina, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  transition 
  form 
  

   between 
  Lepitrix 
  and 
  Eriesthis, 
  the 
  anterior 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  prothorax 
  is 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  densely 
  hairy, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  always 
  a 
  somewhat 
  broad 
  

   basal 
  margin 
  of 
  yellow 
  scales 
  and 
  squamose 
  hairs. 
  

  

  The 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  teeth 
  in 
  the 
  maxilla, 
  which 
  might 
  

   in 
  other 
  cases 
  be 
  considered 
  sufficiently 
  important 
  to 
  form 
  generic 
  

   sections, 
  would 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  Eriesthis 
  be 
  greatly 
  misleading, 
  

   because, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  E. 
  vulpina, 
  all 
  the 
  species 
  are 
  plainly 
  

   closely 
  allied 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  somewhat 
  similar 
  livery, 
  which 
  makes 
  the 
  

   identification 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  a 
  rather 
  difficult 
  task. 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  is 
  South 
  African, 
  with 
  one 
  exception 
  from 
  German 
  East 
  

   Africa, 
  and 
  is 
  poorly 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  South-Western 
  and 
  Western 
  

   part 
  of 
  Cape 
  Colony, 
  Calitzdorp 
  being 
  its 
  most 
  Western 
  habitat, 
  but 
  

   it 
  has 
  numerous 
  representatives 
  in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  and 
  South-Eastern 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  Colony, 
  in 
  Natal, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Transvaal. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  

   an 
  example 
  alleged 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  collected 
  on 
  the 
  Zambezi 
  Eiver 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  Bradshaw, 
  but 
  this 
  habitat 
  requires 
  confirmation. 
  

  

  Key 
  to 
  the 
  Species. 
  

   A3. 
  Maxillae 
  without 
  tooth. 
  

  

  Head, 
  prothorax 
  and 
  elytra 
  clothed 
  with 
  dense, 
  erect, 
  greyish 
  hairs 
  ; 
  

   elytra 
  with 
  interspersed 
  and 
  contiguous, 
  thick, 
  squamose 
  flavous 
  

   appressed 
  hairs 
  pusilla. 
  

  

  A 
  2 
  . 
  Maxillae 
  with 
  one 
  basal 
  tooth. 
  

  

  Maxillae 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  basal 
  tooth, 
  body 
  without 
  scales 
  ; 
  elytra 
  

   testaceous 
  ; 
  covered 
  with 
  greyish 
  and 
  black 
  hairs 
  vulpina. 
  

  

  