ON A NEW SPECIES OF CERAPTERUS. 
The addition of a new species to so rare a genus as Cerapterus will confer entomological 
fame on Dr. Smith’s expedition. The genus Cerapterus is so little understood by entomolo- 
gists, that ere I describe this new species I conceive myself called upon to make a few remarks 
on the groupe, particularly as those hitherto made have either been extremely inaccurate, or 
have been accompanied by bad figures. . . 
The genus Cerapterus was founded by Swederus fifty years ago, and the insects having 
immediate reference to it remain to this day of the utmost rarity ; so much so, indeed, that 
I believe there is no specimen in any Continental Museum. There are only five specimens 
in England, and each of these belongs to a distinct species. Of these five specimens, three 
are in my collection, one in that of the East India Company, and one in that of Mr. J ohn 
Curtis. Having the first four species now on the table before me, I consider myself enabled 
to distinguish the species accurately ; and I shall take the opportunity of stating some 
interesting particulars observed by my brother, Mr. George MacLeay, in New South Wales, 
which agree with the observations made by M. Verreaux on the economy of the Paussidce in 
general,— a family of which he has brought home a very extensive collection. 
Being in possession of a fine series of undescribed Paussidce, and finding some very 
curious forms among them, I shall probably hereafter treat of the family at large in some other 
work. My object for the present must be confined to a satisfactory description of Dr. Smith s 
new species. I shall therefore in this place merely remark, that if we watch that chain of 
affinity which is most visible in the family of Paussidce, some genera that are usually included 
in it will seem, so far as we are acquainted with the groupe, to be more properly excluded. 
For instance, beginning with the true genus Paussus, we pass, by an easy transition, to the 
groupe called Platyrhopalus by Mr. Westwood, and to that interesting insect Platyrhopalus 
Mellyi, which appears to be the type of a new sub-genus leading us on directly to Cerap- 
terus latipes of Swederus; and by the New Holland form of Cerapterus which I call Arthrop- 
terus, we pass to Pentaplatartlirus, from which we return to Paussus. Now, as this returning 
into itself is the essential characteristic of a natural groupe, it follows that the genus Hylo- 
torus of Dalman, as well as the Trochoideus of Westwood, are osculant groupes, leading off 
from the Paussidce, since if inserted in the above circular series, they appear to interrupt it. 
If indeed Dalman’s name Hylotorus be correctly applied, this insect cannot entei into 
groupe of true Paussidce , which, according to the observations of M. Verieaux, ne\ei attack 
wood. As to the genus Trochoideus, which, by the way, is strangely named ; for the insects 
are as like to Hercules as to a wheel; it certainly leads off to the parasitical Myrmecoxenus of 
