214 REVISION OF THE AUSTRALIAN CURCULIONlDiE, 



distinctly wider than punctures, flat and with fine punctures, on 

 apical half becoming raised and narrow and with punctate 

 sides ; the suture is flat for more than two-thirds its length. 

 Pectoral canal shallow, apex wide ; anterior coxae hollowed for 

 rostrum, feebly separated. Mesosternal plate depressed, feebly 

 concave, punctate, almost curvilinearly triangular, apex moder- 

 ately wide, base narrow. Metasternum feebly depressed in middle, 

 densely punctate; episterna each with a row of small, deep, sub- 

 contiguous punctures. Two basal segments of abdomen large, 

 not very coarsely punctate, flattened or very feebly concave in 

 middle; 1st as long as 'ind-Srd combined; intermediates coml>ined 

 slightly longer than 2nd, each with a distinct transverse row of 

 small punctures ; 5th densely punctate, a shallow somewhat 

 circular impression near its apex. Legs densely punctate; femora 

 dentate, teeth of anterior pair rather small, posterior not extend- 

 ing to middle of apical segment ; tibiie narrow, compressed, 

 grooved, base curved, anterior very feebly bisinuate beneath; claw- 

 joint ^ ery feebly pubescent, claws feeble, diverging at an angle of 

 about 30°. Length 4, rostrum \\; width 2 mm. 



Hab. — North Queensland : Cooktown (Herr J. Faust's No. 69). 



If Mcechius is to be recognised as a genus, this species should 

 go into it; but I can see no reason for separating it from Melan- 

 terius ; the species can scarcely be M. anaglyptns, which is 

 described as — " Rostro . . . in medio fere obsolete carinato," 

 and " Elytris profunde late sulcatis . . . interstitiis carinatis 

 et utrinque uniseriatim punctulatis." Pascoe also gives the 

 length as 2| lin. 



Melanterius ventralis, n.sp, 



Elliptic, shining, convex. Black; tarsi and antenna? dull red. 

 Upper surface with very minute pubescence, on prothorax in 

 punctures, and on elytra at sides of interstices; under surface and 

 legs with sufficiently distinct hairs in punctures ; four apical 

 segments of abdomen with long, yellowish, straggling hair. 



Head densely punctate; ocular fovea very feeble; eyes rounded, 

 coarsel}'^ faceted, rather widely separated. Rostrum long, rather 



