DESCEIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE COLEOPTEEA 

 OF SOUTH AFEICA.— Part IV. 



By A. Eaffray, Memb. Ent. Soc. of France, &c. 



Family PSELAPHIDiE. 



The PselaphidcB have in South Africa a very singular faunistic 

 distribution. They appear to be divided in two faunas : one which 

 I call the Cape fauna proper, the other is a general African one : 

 the first seems to be merely restricted to the Cape Peninsula, the 

 second one extends from Mashunaland to Natal. 



Unfortunately many parts of South Africa may be considered as 

 unexplored so far as the collection of these minute insects is con- 

 cerned, and the neighbourhood of Cape Town is the only place 

 where the Pselaphidcs have been thoroughly searched for by Mr. 

 Peringuey and myself. They have also been collected in Mashuna- 

 land by Mr. G. A. K. Marshall, in Natal by Messrs. Marshall and 

 A. E. Haviland, and in Bechuanaland and the Transvaal by Mons. 

 E. Simon. 



Thirty-one genera and seventy-six species are now known to occur 

 in South Africa, and of these fifteen genera and sixty-nine species 

 are not met with anywhere else, so far as our knowledge of these 

 insects goes. 



The distribution of these 31 genera and 76 species in South Africa 

 and other parts of the world may prove of interest. 



6 genera are found in every part of the world, Europe included, 



i.e. : — 



1 Bryaxis. It is very doubtful if this genus occurs in South 



Africa ; the locality of the unique specimen recorded is 



unknown. 



3 Euplectus, Byxabis, and Pselaphus occur in Mashunaland 



and Natal, but not at the Cape. 

 1 Beichembachia is found in Mashunaland, Natal, and the 



Cape. 

 1 Ctenistes occurs in Natal and at the Cape. 



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