antennæ reddish on the basal half, shading into blackish, at least 40-jointed, the scape and second joint thickened, the scape half as long again as broad, the second joint hardly longer than broad, the third joint twice as long as the fourth, the rest tapering and gradually decreasing in length to beyond the middle, when they become longer and more cylindrical; vertex and thorax closely punctured, the latter more coarsely; thorax with two strong spines at the frontal angles, a strong spine on each side, between which runs a raised ridge, and a row of eight large spines behind. There is one more large spine on each side slightly before the others; on the yellow lower ridge of the thorax most of the spines are red, tipped with black; those on the legs are described in characterising the genus, The dividing ridge of the thorax is brownish; before it are two pairs of shallow brownish depressions, and behind it a row of five on each side, curving outwards, and two or three additional pairs in the middle. Abdomen smooth, more or less cupreous, with some scattered punctures towards the end of the segments.
Much resembles C. erinaceus, Fairmaire, from the Gaboon, but only half the size. Described from two males and one female, which hardly differ in structure, thus making it probable that the insect alluded to by Dr. Karsch as the female of Cosmoderus erinaceus (Berl. ent. Zeitschr. xxxi. p. 59) belongs to a different genus, and not improbably to Aprophantia, described below.
The curious wingless insects belonging to the family Hetrodidæ must be very numerous in the warmer parts of Africa. Almost every collection from these regions, however small, furnishes one or more new species if it contains any Orthoptera. I take the opportunity of adding the description of a new genus and species, which appears to have been confounded with Cosmoderus erinaceus, in a footnote.[1]
- ↑
APROPHANTIA, gen. nov.
Allied to Cosmoderus, but with longer and more slender legs, the hind tibiæ especially being considerably longer than the others. All the tibiæ sulcated, front tibiiæ with conspicuously open foramina. Femora above with a strong pair of terminal spines; femora and tibia otherwise unarmed above, but with a double row of very strong spines beneath. Frontal spine very strong; front coxiæ spined, and a spine in front of themiddle tarsi. Abdomen smooth; mesothorax raised in the middle, its front angles armed with a large double spine, from which a strong carina runs to the sides of the ridge, where the carina rises into another large spine; the hinder part of the mesothorax is armed with a row of nine or ten more
