Linncean Society, 



297 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



LINNjEAN society. 

 June 16. — The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 

 Read, " Description of a new species of the Coleopterous genus 

 Cerapterus, from South America." By J. O. Westwood, Esq., F.L.S. 



In the present paper the author enumerates eight species of this 

 interesting genus of the family of Paussidce, which he distributes 

 into six subgenera. The following are the characters of the new 

 species : — 



1. C. Horsfieldii, piceus; thorace antice emarginato, elytris macula apicali 



flavescente haud rotundata literam y quodammodd simulante, palpo- 

 rum labialium articulo ultimo securiformi. 



2. C. quadrinotatus, piceo-niger, nitidissimus ; thorace (antice viso) sub- 



emarginato, maculis duabus magnis ovalibus prope scutellum, alterisque 

 duabus apicem versus majoribus anticfe et postice lobatis rufo-fulvis. 

 Long. corp. lin. lat. lin. 



3. C. piceus, nitidus ; antennis pedibusque rufo-piceis, punctis irregula- 



ribus minutissimis. 



4. C. brasiliensis, fulvo-rufescens ; oculis albidis tenuissime punctatis, ver- 



tice depresso, thorace intra angulos posticos utrinque foveolato. 

 Long. corp. lin. lat. lin. 



This remarkable species was discovered by Mr. Miers in the vi- 

 cinity of Rio de Janeiro, and a drawing of the insect accompanies 

 the present paper. Mr. Westwood regards it as the type of a new 

 subgenus, which he names Homopterus. 



5. C. Westermanni, rufo-piceus, haud nitidus ; elytris nigris postice cruce 



rufescente notatis basi bicostatis discoque longitudinaliter subimpressis, 

 apice rufescente. 

 Long. corp. lin. lat. lin. 



Read also the conclusion of a paper, entitled " Arrangement and 

 Definition of the Genera of Ferns, founded upon their venation, 

 with examples of the species, and observations on the affinities of 

 each genus." By Mr. John Smith, A.L.S. 



The principles of the author's arrangement are similar to those 

 proposed by Presl in his Tentamen Pteridographice, published at 

 Prague in 1836, in which the venation of the frond (a character the 

 importance of which was first pointed out by Mr. Brown) is adopted 

 as the basis of generic division. It is but justice, however, to Mr. 

 Smith, to state that his arrangement was completed before the work 

 of Professor Presl had reached this country, and the coincidence of 

 their views affords presumptive evidence in favour of the accuracy 

 of the principles upon which their distribution of the species is 

 founded. This extensive family, or rather class, was divided by 

 Mr. Brown into four very natural subfamilies. It is only with the 

 first of these (Polypodiacea) that Mr. Smith has more particu- 

 larly occupied himself in the present paper. The following are the 

 names and characters of the tribes into which he has distributed the 

 Polypodiaceae. 



