﻿1902.] 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  Coleoptera 
  of 
  South 
  Africa. 
  817 
  

  

  PliATYCHELUS 
  HOPLIOIDES, 
  Burm., 
  

  

  Handb. 
  d. 
  Entomol., 
  iv., 
  1, 
  p. 
  151. 
  

  

  Male 
  : 
  Black, 
  with 
  a 
  faint 
  aeneous 
  tinge, 
  elytra 
  either 
  fuscous, 
  

   dark 
  chestnut, 
  or 
  reddish 
  brown, 
  but 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  metallic 
  tinge, 
  

   clypeus 
  straight 
  at 
  the 
  apex 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  outer 
  angles 
  slightly 
  

   rounded 
  ; 
  head 
  granulose 
  ; 
  prothorax 
  very 
  closely 
  scabrose 
  except 
  

   in 
  the 
  median 
  posterior 
  part, 
  where 
  the 
  punctures 
  are 
  rounder 
  and 
  

   clothed 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  dense, 
  slightly 
  navescent, 
  or 
  sometimes 
  fulvous, 
  

   erect 
  pubescence 
  ; 
  scutellum 
  clothed 
  with 
  a 
  long, 
  appressed 
  pubes- 
  

   cence 
  ; 
  elytra 
  faintly 
  bi-striate 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  covered 
  with 
  very 
  

   closely 
  set 
  scabose 
  punctures 
  each 
  bearing 
  an 
  appressed 
  greyish 
  

   hair 
  forming 
  a 
  dense 
  pubescence 
  ; 
  pygidial 
  part 
  and 
  abdomen 
  also 
  

   similarly 
  punctured 
  and 
  equally 
  pubescent 
  ; 
  pectus 
  villose 
  ; 
  anterior 
  

   tibiae 
  bi-dentate 
  outwardly, 
  all 
  the 
  claws 
  double, 
  unequal, 
  and 
  

   cleft. 
  

  

  Female 
  : 
  Like 
  the 
  male, 
  and 
  only 
  recognisable 
  by 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  

   pygidium 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  convex, 
  and 
  vertical; 
  generally 
  the 
  

   appressed 
  pubescence 
  on 
  the 
  elytra 
  is 
  not 
  quite 
  so 
  dense 
  as 
  in 
  

   the 
  male, 
  and 
  the 
  clypeus 
  is 
  parabolic. 
  

  

  Length 
  7-10 
  mm. 
  ; 
  width 
  3J-5J 
  mm. 
  

  

  I 
  never 
  found 
  this 
  species 
  on 
  flowers, 
  but 
  always 
  dragging 
  itself 
  

   on 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  Hab. 
  Cape 
  Colony 
  (Cape 
  Town, 
  Stellenbosch, 
  Malmesbury). 
  

  

  PliATYCHELUS 
  CAFFER, 
  Bohem., 
  

  

  Insect. 
  Canrar., 
  ii., 
  p. 
  155. 
  

  

  Male 
  : 
  Black, 
  with 
  a 
  faint 
  metallic 
  tinge 
  plainer 
  on 
  the 
  prothorax, 
  

   and 
  moderately 
  shining 
  ; 
  elytra 
  with 
  a 
  faint 
  brownish 
  tinge 
  ; 
  clypeus 
  

   a 
  little 
  attenuate 
  laterally 
  and 
  much 
  rounded, 
  almost 
  orbicular, 
  the 
  

   margin 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  reflexed, 
  it 
  is, 
  like 
  the 
  head, 
  very 
  rugose, 
  and 
  the 
  

   latter 
  is 
  hairy 
  ; 
  prothorax 
  scabrose 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  part 
  and 
  sides, 
  

   punctate 
  in 
  the 
  discoidal 
  posterior 
  part, 
  densely 
  pubescent, 
  the 
  

   pubescence 
  long, 
  erect, 
  and 
  greyish 
  ; 
  elytra 
  normally 
  sinuate 
  and 
  

   attenuate 
  laterally, 
  bi-impressed 
  longitudinally 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  deeply 
  

   and 
  somewhat 
  closely 
  punctate 
  and 
  clothed 
  with 
  an 
  equal, 
  some- 
  

   what 
  dense 
  fuscous 
  pubescence 
  ; 
  pygidial 
  part, 
  abdomen, 
  pectus, 
  

   and 
  hind 
  legs 
  clothed 
  with 
  a 
  similar 
  pubescence 
  which 
  is 
  not, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  very 
  dense 
  ; 
  anterior 
  legs 
  bi-dentate. 
  Boheman 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  

   anterior 
  tibiae 
  are 
  tri-dentate, 
  but 
  in 
  his 
  type, 
  as 
  also 
  in 
  my 
  co-type, 
  

   they 
  are 
  as 
  mentioned 
  above. 
  

  

  Length 
  5 
  \ 
  mm. 
  ; 
  width 
  2 
  J 
  mm. 
  

  

  52 
  

  

  