( 339 ) XXII. Description of a new genus of Coleoptera, belong- ing to the family Scaritid^e. By Dr. Her- mann BURMEISTER. [Read 1st December, 1875.] The follo"\ving description of a new Coleopterous insect was communicated by Professor Burmeister, of Buenos Ayres, who had named it in honour of Professor West- wood on his attaining the age of seventy years, on the 22nd December, 1875 (adopting for it one of his christian names) : — Obadius insignis. This new genus, belonging to the family Scaritidce, was taken on the shore of the River Uruguay, near the little town of Concordia in Entrerios; and communicated to me as the single specimen found there. The insect has the external appearance of Clivina, but differs from that genus and all others known of the same family by many particular characters, exposed in the following general description: — Adumbratio gener Antenna ante oculos inserts, breves, 11 -articulate, sub- moniliformes ; articulo primo elongato, subclavato, sequen- tibus tribus longitudine iequali ; secundo, tertio et quarto longitudine decrescentibus, nudis, nitidis ; quarto omnium minutissimo ; reliquis longitudine Eequalibus, sensim paulu- lum crassioribus, tenerrime pubescentibiis, pallide pilosis; ultimo majori, obtuse acuminato. Oculi hemispherici, parum convexi, sed desuper con- spicui, posticum versus nodulo genarum suffiilti. Clypeus, frons et vertex irregtJariter rugosi, lateribus argute marginatis ; pars anterior frontis juxta clypeum dilatata, subtumida, sulco longitudinali a clypeo separata, superficie injequali, antice oblique carinata. Labrum breve, arcuatum, transversum, angulis rotun- datis. TRANS. ENT. SOC. 1875. — PART V. C C 340 Dr. Hermann Burraeister's Description of Mandihul(B sat longa}, falcata?, acuta*, cdentata', supra cum area basali paululum elevata, quibus arcis anguli labri incumbent in statu clauso mandibularum ; clausae labrum circumdant figura semicirculari, sinistra super dextram inferiorem eamque obtegente ; uti-aque supra plana, subtus convcxa, basi carinata. MaxillcB abscondit;o, vix examinata3, palpis longis, quadri-articulatis ; articulo secundo cylindrico, parum curvato ; tertio minuto ; ultimo ovali, basi introrsura versus incrassata, summo apice parum truncato sed acuminato. Mentum transversum, parum dilatatum, carina media transversa bipartitum, parte basali bifoveolata ; lobis late- ralibus subacutis, parum apice prominentibus, denteque medio simplici acuto, angulis lateralibus longitudine ajquali. Ligula brevis, obtusa ; palpis labialibus quadriarticu- latis, sat longis ; articulo primo cylindrico ; secundo minutissimo : tertio longiori, subcjlindrico, ultimo parum breviori ; hoc ovato, basi incrassato, acuminato, sed summo apice vix acuto, obtusiusculo. Prothorax sat longus, latitudine paulo longior, anticum versus angustior, basi arcuata, angulis posticis oblique rotundatis, obtusis ; superficie dorsali sulco antico pro- fundo transverso post marginem in medio angulato et bidentato, altero longitudinali tenuiori, striisque multis (ultra triginta) tenuibus transversis, totum discum pronoti occupantibus ; lateribus pronoti li\3vibus, parum rugulosis, sulco marginali bene distincto ab ipso margine separatis ; summa basi puhdnata, foveolis duabus oblongis impressa. Scutellum absconditum. Elytra oblonga, subcylindrica, lateribus parallelis, in apice rotundata, ])ronoto duplo longitudine a'qualia, pro- fimde striata ; striis punctatis, interstitiis parum convexis. Pectora et abdomen convexa, nitida, impunctata ; pro- sterno tumido, mucrone obtuso subtriangulari inter coxas producto, lobis pronoti interioribus tenuiter rugulosis ; parapleuris sulco circumdatis ; abdomine quadriannulato, segmentis convexiusculis, ante marginem tenuiter trans- verse sulcatis. Pedes breves, sat validi ; coxis quatuor anterioribus globosis, prominulis ; fcmoribus anticis incrassatis ; tibiis his palmatis, extus obtuse tridentatis, apice in dentem longum angustum curvatum productis, in latere interno a nexo genus of Sca'ritidce. 341 profunde excisis, calcaribus duobus £eqiialibus, longis, aduncis, subtusque carina argute munitis. Tarsis anteriori- bus elongatis, articulo primo reliqiiis unitis ^quali, his sensim decrescentibus, omnibus utrinque setosis. Un- guibus minutis. Femoribus mediis et posticis baud in- crassatis, his parum brevioribus, illis subaduncis ; tibiarum angulis externis crenatis, setosis ; mediis parum brevioribus, dente apieaH externo armatis ; posticis gracilioribus, longius setosis ; omnibus intus in apice bicalcaratis, calcaribus in- aequalibus. Tarsis quatuor j)osticis tibia longioribus, articuhs decrescentibus, ultimo praecedente parum longiori, omnibus setosis. Speciem unicam mihi notam, semel captam propango nomine O. insignis. Piceo-niger, nitidus ; an tennis, palpis pedibusque obscure ferrugineis. Long. 5 lin. (9 mm.). Habitat in littore fluminis Uruguay, circa oppidum La Concordia. Dom. A. Doering. Caput elongatum, oblongo-ovale, anticum versus pauIo latins ; cljqjeo truncato, lateribus elevatis, ovalibus, argute marginatis, supra antennarum insertionem protractis, man- dibularum basi adsequantibus. Superficies tota rugulosa, sed impunctata. Pronoti disco transversim raulti-striato, striis in latere externo abbreviatis ; lateribus descendenti- bus, obsolete rugulosis ; autice sulco profundo post mar- ginem impresso, in medio angulato, angulo bidentato ; margine lateral i parum elevato, stria intermarginali a disco separate ; angidis anticis rotundatis, parum prominulis ; posticis obliquis; sulculo oblongo utrinque, discum sepa- rante, juxta conjuncturam impresso, lineaque media longi- tudinal! parum proflinda. Elytra obtuse marginata, juxta marginem sulco longitudinali excavata, striisque duabus angustis in ijjso sulco notata ; disco sexies striato, striis catenato-punctatis, interstitiis parum convexis, extenio juxta sulcum perperam elevatiori ; margine inflexo laterali stria intramarginali altera signato ; striis discalibus in apice binis conjunctis, hoc modo 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6, tuberculo tumido terminali separatis. Corpus subtus impunctatum, glaberrimum, lateribus pronoti inflexis, latis, transverse parum rugulosis; gula ante mentum foveola duplici impressa, dehinc longitudinaliter stria unica sulcata. 342 Dr. Hermann Burmeister's Description, ^c. The genus belongs, according to the arrangement of M. Putzeys, repeated by Lacordaire (Genr. d. Coleopt., i., 190), to the section with arcuate and acuminate man- dibles, and takes its place alongside of the two genera Lachenus and Cryptomma, uniting in some respects the peculiar configuration of both. But fi-om these tAvo genera Obadius is especially distinguished by the form of the mentum with its three equal acute apical teeth, and also from Cryptomma by the prominent eyes. The fine transverse striation of the pronotum, which, as far as I know, is unique in the whole family of ScaritidcE, seems to be a very singular character of this insect. The accompanying figure shows this fine striation and also the peculiar con- figuration of the head ; indicating the lateral production near the clypeus, and the mandibles crossing, one over the other, when closed. All the other organs are less remark- able, resembling those of Clivina and other genera of the family, and therefore I have not thought it necessary to figiu-e them.