1890.] E. T. Atkinson — Catalogue of the Family Pau&sidse. 157 



two genera were allied, and, subsequently, Latreille formed them into a 

 family which he named Paussili, afterwards changed by Leach into 

 Paussides. Mr. J. 0. Westwood commenced his labours on this family in 

 1 830, describing mauy new species, and creating several genera, and 

 subsequently summarised his work in the ' Arcana Entomologica ' which 

 contains descriptions and excellent figures of the fifty-two species known 

 up to 1845. In the Oxford 'Thesaurus entomologicus,' Mr. West- 

 wood added many new species, and figured fifty-four species which com- 

 prised all those unfigured up to 1874. Since then, but six new species 

 from the Oriental Region have been described, and Mr, Westwood's works 

 consequently form the best guide to the study of the family. Boyes and 

 Benson may also be mentioned as having brought to notice several species 

 from India, in the pages of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 

 In 1886, M. Haffray described a number of new species, chiefly African, 

 and further summarised the results of Mr. Westwood's work, adding 

 chapters on the morphology and classification of the family, followed by 

 synoptical tables of the genera, and a list of species. M. Raffray divides the 

 family into two tribes Cerapterini and Paussini ; in the former, the labial 

 and maxillary palpi are large, free, and never conceal the buccal cavity, 

 whilst in the latter, the labial, and especially the maxillary palpi are 

 short and thick, and conceal the buccal cavity. The Paussidae, as 

 suggested by Burmeister, appear to be most closely allied co the Carabidae. 

 Crotch, in 1873, included the Rhysodidce also in the Adephaga, but Horn 

 writes : — ' These must be excluded for many reasons, more especially 

 as they fail to present the ventral structure which may safely be taken 

 as the key. If we admit them there is no reason why some and after 

 them all the Colydiidai should not be admitted, and the door would be 

 opened to much of the Clavicorn series. It must be admitted, however, 

 that Paussus is the nearest approach of the Clavicorn series to the 

 Adephaga, the approximation in another direction being through the 

 Byrrhidce and Pamidaz with, however, a very wide interval. ' In many 

 European Catalogues the Paussidce are placed after the Cai°abidce, I place 

 them here as more convenient. 



The Paussidaz are small insects of a quadrate form with very remark- 

 able clubbed antennae, so much so that Afzelius formed them into a 

 separate section of the Coleoptera from this character alone. They have 

 been found by Benson, Champion, Trimen and Guenzius in ants' nests, 

 and it is, perhaps, for this reason that they are so seldom seen in collec- 

 tions, as the auts appear to keep the Paussidoe prisoners within the for- 

 micarium. A few have been captured at the light at night, but the 

 more successful collectors have, as stated, found them by examining the 



