CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS A KNOWLEDGE OF THE 

 COLEOPTERA OF AUSTRALIA. 



By a. Sidney Ollifp, F.E.S., 

 Assistant Zoologist, Australian Museum. 



No. IV. — Description of a new Genus and Species op 



OEDEifEJtlDJE. 



The genus which I here describe is remarkable among the whole 

 of the heteromerous Coleoptera for the peculiar construction of its 

 antennae. It is allied to Nacerdes and Ananca, but ditfers from 

 them, as it doe.s fi'om every other member of the family Oedemeridce 

 known to me, in having certain joints of its antennse enormously 

 dilated and the metasternum produced into two sharp spines 

 posteriorly. The structure of the antennae is fully described 

 below, but I would draw particular attention to the form of the 

 seventh joint which is quite unlike anything I have observed 

 before. In shape it is pyriform, cup-like, and of considerable depth ; 

 but whether this structure is sexual or not is a question which 

 cannot be determined at present. 



Unfortunately I have not been able to examine the mouth- 

 organs and sexual characters as carefully as I could wish as I have 

 only a single exponent of the species, which I captured, together 

 with some new and interesting Clavicorns, at Longford, Tasmania, 

 during January 1886, on the flowers of Leptospermum. 



Ithaca, gen. no v. 



Body elongate, finely pubescent. Head moderately large, 

 transverse, broadly but not very deeply depressed between the 

 eyes. Mentum transverse, narrowed behind, very feebly emar- 

 ginate in front. Maxillary palpi 4- jointed, rather robust, the 



