jan. — mar. 1857.] Descriptions of new Ceylon Coleoptera. 191 



ously drawing attention to the three very natural and very distinct 

 groups which they form and the characteristics of which will at 

 once be perceptible from the headings given below. With regard 

 to the first group (A. I. spec. 30-34) I may mention that the elon- 

 gated legs, largely developed posterior trochanters and often distant 

 posterior coxse give the insects belonging to it a staggering motion 

 when walking,which together with their oblong,subdepressed body 

 distinguishes them at a glance. I have subdivided them from the 

 cultriform or grooved mesosternal carina. The second group (A. II. 

 spec. 35-41) is equally well characterized as the former by the 

 more robust, pyriform and subconvex body of the insects. S. psela-* 

 phoides in the former and S. advolans in the present group, form 

 connecting links between the two, especially S. pselaphoides which 

 in general appearance rather belongs to the second, upon closer 

 examination however is easily ascertained to be an anomalous mem- 

 ber of the former. I have divided the second group into two 

 subdivisions distinguished by the rounded or narrowed occiput giv- 

 ing preference to the distinctions to be drawn from this part of the 

 body rather than to those derived from the thorax, which from the 

 variety of shapes it assumes would naturally suggest itself for that 

 purpose, but the gradations between the principal forms appear to 

 me too many, too fine and therefore too indistinct to adopt them. 

 As to the third group (B. spec. 42) the insect which alone forms it 

 amongst those described below, is so different from any of the 

 others that its peculiarities must strike any one at first sight. 



A. Species with a thick neck, abruptly formed and immersed in the 

 thorax. 



I. Fourth joint of the maxill. palpi not acuminated ; head subqua- 

 drato — ovate; eyes middling or small , finely granulated, little or not 

 at all prominent ; antenna subapproximate at the base ; posterior 

 trochanters elongated, incrassated at the apex ; thorax obovate ; 

 body elongate, subdepressed. 



fa. J Mesosternal carina slight, simple. 

 30. Scydmcenus. alatas. N. 



S. dilute brunneus, pedibus antennisque dilutioribus, tarsis pal- 

 pisque testaceis ; pubescens ; long. corp. § lin. 



