546 Transactions South African Philosojjliical Society, 'vol. xii. 



striae seem to have disappeared, but a double one is somewhat 

 discernible in the middle of the dorsal part ; pygidium finely 

 shagreened except the apical part which is smooth. 



Female unknown. 



Nothing is known of the habits of this remarkable insect, ]jut 

 judging from the shape of the maxillae, it is probable that, hke 

 Pychnoschema, it lives in the manure-heaps of the subterraneous white 

 ant Hoclotermes havilandi, Sharp. 



Length 14 mm. ; width 8 mm. 



Hah. Cape Colony (Malmesbury). 



Gen. CYPHONISTES, Burm., 

 Handb. d. Entom., v., 1847, p. 213. 



Mentum narrow, elongato-ovate, attenuate laterally tow^ards the 

 insertion of the labial palpi, obliquely ampliate above it, and broadly 

 emarginate, it is deeply excavate longitudinally from the base to 

 three-fourths of the length, the ligular part is slightly receding and 

 grooved in the centre ; labial palpi short, apical one sub-cylindrical, 

 rounded at tip, apical lobe of maxillae not much curved, hollowed 

 inwardly, having a short, curved tooth at the tip, two, opposite one 

 another, near the apex, and a strongly bifid one at the base, last joint 

 of maxillary palpi not long, fusiform inwardly, straight outwardly, 

 and sub-truncate at tip ; mandibles three-dentate, the teeth a little 

 divaricating, somewhat angular, reflexed and projecting much be- 

 yond the clypeus which is very attenuated laterally, slightly reflexed 

 at tip, but not bi-dentate ; genae projecting much, triangular, median 

 part of the head with a long compressed horn bifid at tip in the male, 

 or a short bifid tubercle in the female ; prothorax marginate all 

 round, excavate and bi-tuberculate in front in the male, simple in the 

 female ; scutellum ogival ; elytra convex, slightly ampliate laterally 

 past the middle, distinctly punctate and even striate, callose behind ; 

 propygidium very finely striate transversely and broadly in the 

 median part, pygidium transversely convex at a short distance from 

 the basal part, and a little declivous in the middle, horizontally sub- 

 aculeate at the apex and projecting as an inverted gutter, and having 

 the lower part of the pygidium overhung by the upper in the female ; 

 abdominal segments a little contracted in the middle ; metasternum 

 moderately broad, prosternum with an horizontal, carinate, inter- 

 coxal process, pectus very pubescent ; anterior tibiae sharply tri- 

 dentate, joints of anterior tarsi thickened in the male, penultimate 



