1900.] Catalogue of the Coleoptera of South Africa. 509' 



brooks and rivers (Temnorhynchus) ; in some again the habits are the 

 same as in their European congeners, and they are met with in 

 decomposed logs or tree-trunks {Oryctes monocevos, Syricthodontus 

 spurius) ; others are found in the old heaps of faeces carried out 

 of its nest by the white ant, Hodotermes havilandi, Sharp, and live 

 there with their larvae [Syrichthus varus, Pycnoschema corydon, 

 &c.) ; but Cyphonistes corniculatus and Syrichthomorphus termito- 

 philus are only found underground, on the sides, or at the bottom of 

 the conical mounds made by Terines trinervius and another Termes, 

 and their larvae feed on the material of which the mound is made. 

 I suspect that most of the species found in South Africa do the 

 same. 



This adaptation to a new mode of life explains the presence in the 

 dry, treeless Karroo plains of insects generally connected with 

 arboreal decomposed vegetation. 



The shape of the genital armature is of service for the identifi- 

 cation of the species, but these organs are not quite so dissimilar in 

 shape as in the Geotrupince ; in some genera the difference is slight, 

 in others certain species have nearly similar armatures, and some 

 have quite different ones (Pentodontoschema, &c.). 



I have made use of the shape of the mentum to remove several 

 species from genera to which they should not belong, and the Euro- 

 pean genera Pentodon and Phillognathus have therefore no longer 

 any representatives in South Africa. The inclusion of several species 

 in some other genera was due merely to superficial resemblance. 



Of the nineteen genera found in South Africa, ten have not been 

 met with elsewhere, \.q., Pentodontoschema, Uyboschema, Orsilochus, 

 Ccdlistemonus, Homoeomorphus , Syrichthus, Syrichthodontus, Syrich- 

 thomorphus, Venedus, and Pseudocyphonistes . 



Key to the Genera. 



A^. Labial palpi inserted on the sides of the mentum but in 

 the outer part. 

 B-. Intermediate and posterior tibiae non-digitate at apex. 

 C. Median and posterior tibise with two ciliate oblique 

 carinse. 



D^. Maxillse tri-dentate, not showing much beyond 

 the clypeus. 

 E. Inner claw of anterior tarsi of male thickened 

 and contorted. 

 F5. Apical part of posterior tarsi ciliate, but with 

 one apical spine. 



Mentum very elongate, strongly constricted 

 laterally before the apex ; maxillae with six 

 inner teeth ; clypeus bi-dentate Heteronychus ^ 



