200 



INTRODUCTION. 



[Family 98. AGLYCYDEMD^E.] 



Head short and very broad, triangular, considerably broader than 

 the apex of the prothorax, without trace of a rostrum ; antennce long, 

 ■eleven- jointed, submoniliform ; prothorax almost circular ; legs 

 rather short and stout, tarsi three-jointed. 



This family contains one genus, Aglycyderes, comprising two or 

 three species from the Canary Islands, New Zealand, and New 

 Caledonia ; one of these is believed to live in stems of Euphorbia. 

 Westwood (Thesaurus Entomologicus, p. 106) considers the 

 tarsi to be 4-jointed, whereas (Sharp thinks it by no means clear 

 that the very minute knot which Westwood regarded as the third 

 joint is more than the articulation of the elongate terminal joint. 

 The insect was referred by Westwood to the Anthribid^e, and it 

 certainly bears a superficial resemblance to species belonging to 

 the Anthribid genus Zygcenodes ; the likeness, however, is evidently 

 only superficial, and is chiefly confined to the very peculiarly 

 shaped head. AVollaston (Cat. Coleop. Ins. Canaries, p. 384), 

 after discussing the doubtful affinities of the insect, concludes by 

 saying that upon the whole it seems to combine the two opposite 

 extremes of the Rhynchophora (as represented by the Scolytldvb 

 and Anthribid je) with certain setose genera of the Colydiid.u 

 (such as Sarrotrium and Diodesma), in which the body is hispid 

 and the tarsi 4-jointed. In any case the genus is abnormal, out 

 it appears to be more nearly allied to the Rhynchophora than to 

 any other group. 



[Family 99. PROTERHINIDiE.] 



Elongate oval, roughly sculptured insects, with the head sub- 

 triangular, scarcely produced in the male, but ivith a distinct short 

 rostrum in the female; eyes very prominent; antennce long and 

 slender : pronotum with the sides more or less rounded ; legs stout, 

 especially in the female ; tarsi three- jointed, the second joint lobed ; 

 maxillce and ligula entirely covered by the mcnturn. 



This is one of the strange families described by Dr. Sharp from 

 Hawaii. It consists of the single genus Proterhinus, which is 

 confined to the Hawaiian Islands ; the species and individuals are 

 numerous, and live on dead wood in the native forests. The 

 family certainly seems to have considerable affinities with the 

 Rhynchophora, but cannot be included under them at present. 

 According to Sharp, a very minute true third joint is to be found 

 at the base of the lobes of the second joint of the tarsi. 



