NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXXIX. 1936. "'^ THE ANTHRIBIDAE OF MAURITIUS. By dr. KARL JORDAN, F.R.S. (With 13 text-figures.) EARLY in 1935 I received from Mr. Jean Vinson, Mauritius, a collection of Anthribidae obtained in recent years by himself, Mr. Ray. Mamet and Mr. G. Morin at various places on Mauritius. The collection was most welcome, as only a few species were known from that island. Of the six species described from Mauritius I have seen the types of Tropideres lessellatu-s Bohem. 1859 and Caranistes variegatus Bohem. 1859, which Dr. 0. Lundbeck kindly sent me for inspection, the type oiDimphrni^ mauritius Jord. 1924 is at Tring, and the remain-ing three species I have identified from the descriptions. As explained hereafter, D. mauritius is the same as D. dorsatus Fairm. 1901, and Apolecta filicomis Fairm. 1903 the same as Caranistes variegatus, while Eucorynus clavator Fairm. 1903 is identical mth the common Oriental Eucorynus crassicornis Fabr. 1801. In 1914 I recorded Phloeobius gigas cervinus Klug 1833 from Mauritius, and Mr. J. Vinson in 1934 Araecerus fasciculatus Degeer 1775. Mr. J. Vinson records also " Phloe-obius nigroungulatus GyU. and Phi. longicornis F."; but both names refer in this case very likely to ? and ^ of Phi. g. cervinm. The number of Mauritian species hitherto known is therefore reduced to six. The collection submitted to me by Mr. J. Vinson contains no less than 20 species, of which 17 are new, one of which, a small Araecerus Schonh. 1825, I have left unnamed, as it is represented by a single specimen in incUfferent condition. The only distinct species described from Mauritius which is not in the collection is Trop. te,s.sellaius. The 22 species here recorded may be taken as representing the majority of Anthribids inhabiting the island. A number of small species other than those obtained must be expected to occur, forms more or less distantly related to those known from Rodriguez and the Seychelles. But such new discoveries will hardly invalidate the conclusions to which the 22 species point. I had expected to find in Mr. Vinson's collection some of the 10 species recorded from Rodriguez,' but the anticipation was not reahzed. Analysing the distribution and relationship we arrive at the following results. 1. Eucorynus crassicornis and Araecertis fasciculatus are of Oriental origin and probably of quite recent introduction. The second Araecerus (left unnamed and not listed) is of Oriental affinity and may also be a recent arrival. 2. Phloeobius gigas cervinus is the Malagassic representative of the Oriental Phi. gigas, which is widely distributed in the Oriental Region from India to the Pacific. The occurrence on Rodriguez, Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar and the Seychelles is evidence that the insect has been in the Malagassic Subrcgion for a considerable time, during which the sUght differences have been acquired that distinguish this subspecies from its Oriental co-subspecies of Phi. gigas. 3. The remaining 19 species are peculiar to Mauritius, showing affinities to the Anthribids of either Rodriguez, Reunion, or Madagascar : Caranistes, of which we record 3 species, is abundantly represented on Madagascar, and one species is known to occur on Reunion (Palazia aranea Coquerel 1866). ^ 1 Nov. Zooi.,, xxxi, p. 227 (1924).
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