498 REVISION OF THE GENUS PAROPIIS, 



lateribus modice arcuatis; scutello vix manifeste punctulato; 

 elytris fequalibus, baud striatis, puncturis seriatis rotundis 

 parvis valde regulariter dispositis, in seriebus confertim 

 impressis (sicut puucturse circiter 3 longitudinem interstitii 

 latitudiui fequalem occupant), interstitiis planis puncturis 

 crebris minus subtilibus impressis, parte laterali nullo modo 

 rugulosa ut interstitia punctulata et puncturis majoribus (his 

 quam serierum puncturse paullo minus subtilibus) confuse 

 nee acervatim impressa. Long. 3|-4^ lines. 

 This and the following species ai^e closely allied inter se, but 

 are distinguishable from P. Simsoni and its allies by their very 

 evidently more nitid surface. When alive, the present insect is 

 quite unmistakable on account of the brilliant golden-yellow 

 gloss of its elytra; when dried, however, it is not very easily dis- 

 tinguishable, but is distinctly of narrower form than hectica, and 

 specimens in good condition {i.e., neither immature nor undulj'' 

 affected by the action of spirit) have the suture— at least in its 

 front half — infuscate (in some examples quite widely black). 

 The 10th elytral sei'ies in this species is usually more darkly 

 coloured than the rest, but this is also the case in many specimens 

 of hectica. There are few species of Parojjsis more beautiful than 

 this is when alive. 

 Tasmania; Hobart. 



P. HECTICA, Boisd. 



This species I believe to be an extremely variable one, and if I 

 am right in grouping together the various forms that I include 

 under the name it is easily distinguishable from all other species 

 except the preceding (P. cMrea). It is decidedly more nitid 

 than any of its following allies and has the seriate punctures of 

 its elytra extremely symmetrical and very closely placed (inter se) 

 in the series, the short subsutural and the 10th series being in 

 many examples conspicuousl}'^ blackish in contrast to the other 

 series. The specimens from a given locality usually resemble 

 each other more closely than they resemble specimens from 

 distant localities, so that it is possible to distinguish in the species 



