BY ARTHUR M. LEA. 241 



punctures, the 2nd but very slightly, if at all, longer than either 

 the 3rd or 4th, 5th densely punctate. Legs moderately long ; 

 femora stout, feebly grooved, posterior moderately strongly 

 dentate, the others feebly so; tibiae somewhat rounded, bisinuate 

 beneath, curved at base, punctures confluent in all. Length 3|; 

 rostrum 1; width 2 mm. 



Hah. — N.Q. : "Somerset" (Pascoe), Cairns (Macleay Museum). 



The clothing and shape, and the sizes of the abdominal segments 

 render this species very distinct. 



Melanterius compactus, n.sp. 



Ovate, somewhat depressed, shining. Piceous or piceous- 

 brown; head, rostrum, and prothorax slightly darker than else- 

 where. Upper surface scarcely visibly clothed, under surface 

 and legs with whitish setee. 



Head with dense and moderately large punctures; eyes sub- 

 reniform, separation slightly less than width of rostrum at base. 

 Rostrum moderately long and stout, feebly curved; densely punc- 

 tate, punctures more or less confluent and causing (towards the 

 base) several feeble and irregular ridges to appear. Scape moder- 

 ately stout, inserted one-third from apex of rostrum, the length 

 of funicle. Prothorax comparatively large, feebly transverse 

 base very feebly bisinuate and not twice the width of apex ; 

 densely punctate, punctures rather small and feebly obliquely 

 confluent. Scutellum round. Elytra briefly cordate, not twice 

 the length of and considerably wider than prothorax; seriate- 

 punctate, punctures moderately large, subquadrate, in shallow 

 grooves; interstices wider than punctures, flat, themselves punc- 

 tate, nowhere ridged. Mesosternal -plate densely punctate. Meta- 

 sternum and two basal segments of abdomen with not very large 

 or dense punctures ; episterna each with a row of very small 

 punctures; intermediates feebly punctate, their combined length 

 equal to that of 2nd or 5th, 5th densely punctate. Femora long, 

 grooved, strongly dentate, posterior extending to apex of abdo- 

 men; tibia3 strongly curved at base, straight elsewhere, punctures 

 partially confluent. Length 3|, rostrum 1^; width 21 mm. 

 16 



