﻿1902.] 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  Coleoptera 
  of 
  South 
  Africa. 
  803 
  

  

  at 
  the 
  tip 
  the 
  angles 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  obliquely 
  attenuate 
  and 
  penicillate 
  ; 
  

   upper 
  maxillary 
  lobe 
  horny 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  long 
  pencil 
  of 
  hairs 
  at 
  the 
  top, 
  

   broad, 
  concave, 
  armed 
  with 
  six 
  strong 
  teeth 
  set 
  opposite 
  each 
  other, 
  

   apical 
  joint 
  of 
  maxillary 
  and 
  labial 
  palpi 
  swollen 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  fusiform 
  ; 
  

   clypeus 
  slightly 
  attenuate 
  laterally 
  towards 
  the 
  apex, 
  or 
  rectangular, 
  

   straight 
  at 
  the 
  tip, 
  with 
  the 
  angles 
  sometimes 
  sharp 
  or 
  slightly 
  

   reflexed 
  ; 
  prothorax 
  convex, 
  narrowed 
  laterally 
  in 
  the 
  anterior 
  part 
  ; 
  

   scutellum 
  short, 
  triangular 
  ; 
  elytra 
  elongate, 
  somewhat 
  plane, 
  slightly 
  

   or 
  strongly 
  sinuate 
  laterally 
  below 
  the 
  humeral 
  part, 
  and 
  attenuate 
  

   from 
  there 
  to 
  the 
  apex 
  ; 
  pygidium 
  declivous 
  forwards 
  in 
  the 
  male 
  ; 
  

   legs 
  moderately 
  slender, 
  hind 
  legs 
  generally 
  similar 
  in 
  both 
  sexes, 
  

   with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  P. 
  pugionatus, 
  P. 
  excentrus, 
  P. 
  dispar 
  ; 
  anterior 
  

   tibiae 
  bi- 
  or 
  tri-dentate 
  outwardly 
  ; 
  all 
  the 
  claws 
  double 
  and 
  cleft 
  

   (except 
  in 
  P. 
  cicatrix), 
  but 
  the 
  smaller 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  feet 
  is 
  

   sometimes 
  simple. 
  

  

  By 
  restricting 
  to 
  this 
  genus 
  all 
  the 
  species 
  with 
  the 
  clypeus 
  

   transversely 
  straight 
  at 
  apex, 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  homogeneous 
  group 
  

   of 
  insects, 
  the 
  livery 
  of 
  which 
  consists 
  of 
  hairs, 
  not 
  of 
  scales 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  

   elytra, 
  however, 
  these 
  appressed 
  hairs 
  are 
  somewhat 
  squamose 
  

   along 
  the 
  posterior 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  suture 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  apical 
  margin. 
  

  

  The 
  habits 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  Heterochelus, 
  and 
  some 
  species 
  have 
  a 
  

   facies 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  unlike 
  that 
  of 
  certain 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  P. 
  semi- 
  

   virgatus, 
  &c, 
  have 
  the 
  two 
  basal 
  outer 
  teeth 
  of 
  the 
  fore 
  tibiae 
  nearly 
  

   connate, 
  and 
  therefore 
  resembling 
  those 
  of 
  Heterochelus 
  ; 
  the 
  tro- 
  

   chanters 
  are 
  developed 
  into 
  a 
  long 
  spine, 
  and 
  the 
  hind 
  tibiae 
  into 
  

   a 
  long 
  mucro 
  in 
  P. 
  pugionatus, 
  or 
  the 
  hind 
  tibiae 
  are 
  triangularly 
  

   dilated, 
  and 
  the 
  apices 
  sub-mucronate 
  in 
  the 
  males 
  of 
  P. 
  excentrus 
  

   or 
  P. 
  dispar. 
  The 
  maxillae 
  are, 
  however, 
  much 
  more 
  robust 
  and 
  

   more 
  powerfully 
  dentate 
  inwardly 
  in 
  Platychelus, 
  the 
  apical 
  outer 
  

   tooth 
  of 
  the 
  anterior 
  tibiae 
  is 
  always 
  very 
  oblique, 
  and 
  the 
  hind 
  legs 
  

   have 
  always 
  a 
  long 
  inner 
  apical 
  spur. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  not 
  aware 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  being 
  represented 
  elsewhere 
  than 
  in 
  

   South 
  Africa. 
  

  

  Key 
  to 
  the 
  Species. 
  

   A 
  2 
  . 
  Hind 
  trochanters 
  produced 
  into 
  a 
  long 
  spiie 
  in 
  the 
  male. 
  

  

  Metallic, 
  glittering, 
  elytra 
  light 
  chestnut-brown, 
  under 
  side 
  and 
  

  

  legs 
  clothed 
  with 
  dense 
  yellow 
  hairs 
  .. 
  .. 
  pugionatus. 
  

  

  A 
  1 
  . 
  Hind 
  trochanters 
  not 
  spinose. 
  

  

  B 
  2 
  . 
  Elytra 
  without 
  deep 
  longitudinal 
  impressions 
  or 
  without 
  

   costules. 
  

  

  C 
  2 
  . 
  Anterior 
  tibise 
  ti-dentate 
  outwardly. 
  

  

  