384 Transactions. 



31 66. Mecodema laevicolle sp. nov. 



Elongate, brilliant, nigrescent; legs, antennae, and palpi rufo- 

 piceous. 



Head, mandibles included, slightly longer than thorax and, including 

 the convex eyes, almost as broad as it is; nearly smooth, there being 

 only a few fine scattered punctures on the vertex, more numerous ones 

 across the back part just behind the eyes, and a few irregular lateral 

 rugae. Thorax but little broader than long, scarcely broader at the 

 middle than near the front, its sides slightly curvate to beyond the 

 middle and moderately narrowed behind ; the base medially truncate, 

 but feebly rounded near the sides, so that the angles appear obtuse, the 

 apex slightly but widely emarginate; lateral margins, and channels, of 

 equal width almost to the base, not perceptibly crenulate ; its surface 

 smooth or only obsoletely lineated, the dorsal groove distinct but m>t 

 attaining the base or apex, basal fossae deep, well limited, and touching 

 the sides and hind margin. Elytra oblong-oval, rather broader than 

 thorax at the base; on each elytron there are 4 discofdal series of rather 

 slender fine punctures, the 6th and 7th series are moderately large and 

 rather coarser than the 5th or 8th; the marginal sculpture, too, is 

 rather fine, and more or less duplicated, the apical irregular and coarser. 



Legs stout; external angles of the front pairs of tibiae slightly pro- 

 minent, posterior pair simple. Antennae with the 5th and following 

 articulations pubescent. 



Underside shining back ; flank of presternum moderately punctate 

 and rugose; abdomen smooth, its last segment bipunetate at each side of 

 the middle, at the extremity. 



The glossy, rather smooth surface, simple thoracic margins, and deep 

 well-defined basal fossae, distinguish this from all the other species of 

 moderate size. M. seriatum (2605) is perhaps the most nearly allied; its 

 sculpture, however, is very different. 



o*. Length, 20 mm. ; breadth, 6^ mm. 



Bold Peak, Wakatipu ; altitude, about 6,000 ft. A specimen was 

 given to me by Mr. O'Connor, but its discoverer is Mr. H. Hamilton. 



3167. Mecodema quoinense sp. nov. 



Elongate, slightly convex, moderately nitid ; black, femora and basal 

 joint of antennae piceo-rufous. 



Head, mandibles included, a sixth longer than thorax, but rather 

 narrower, with numerous fine punctures behind the small prominent 

 eyes; near these latter there are 3 or 4 curved striae, and some fine 

 transverse ones in front. Labrum slightly rounded, quadripuncate only. 

 Mandibles elongate, obliquely wrinkled, the left particularly. Thorax 

 nearly a third broader than long, widest before the middle, slightly 

 rounded there, gradually curvedly narrowed backwards, without any 

 definite sinuation or contraction near the base, which is medially in- 

 curved, with obtuse angles; lateral margins not crenulate, rather narrow, 

 only slightly expanded in front, the apex subtruncate ; its sculpture 

 consists of feeble transverse striae, short longitudinal ones in front and 

 at the base, and a few slight punctiform marks near the front ami 

 the basal fossae, which are deep, but not large, and situated near the 

 angles; the mesial groove is well marked. Elytra almost twice as long 

 as broad, a little wider than the thorax, their sides gently and evenly 

 curved, so that the apex is nearly as broad as the base; they are punc- 

 tate-striate, rather finely on the disc; the striae nearest the sides are 



