Ukoun. — New Genera and Species of Coleoptera. 383 



The diagnosis shows clearly enough that this cannot very well be 

 confounded with previously described species. 



$. Length, 35 mm.; breadth, 11mm. 



Levin, near Wellington. A single .female. This bears the name of 

 its discoverer, Mr. A. O'Connor, who has recently brought to light many 

 interesting beetles from the Tararua Range and other localities. 



3165. Mecodema bryobium sp. nov. 



Elongate, slightly convex, head and thorax a little shining, elytra 

 rather dull; nigrescent, legs and antennae rufo-piceous. 



Head nearly as broad as front of thorax and, including the man- 

 dibles, rather longer than it is; rather coarsely rugose, longitudinally 

 at the sides and on the forehead, transversely on the vertex, in line with 

 the back part of the prominent eyes it is rather coarsely rugosely punc- 

 tate, the sculpture behind consists of short irregular wrinkles and fine 

 punctures. Thorax slightly broader than long, widely yet not deeply 

 incurved in front, lateral margins not definitely crenulate, slightly 

 munded from the anterior angles to beyond the middle, behind strongly 

 curvedly narrowed, but straight near the obtuse angles, its base little 

 more than half the width of the middle; disc nearly flat; the distinct 

 central furrow does not quite reach the base or apex, both of which are 

 impressed with short longitudinal striae; the well-marked rugae do not 

 extend right across the surface, being somewhat interrupted or irregular; 

 there is no distinct punctation ; the basal fossae are deep, and situated 

 close to the lateral and basal margins. Elytra oblong-oval, gradually 

 narrowed towards the base, which, however, is broader than that of the 

 thorax; on each elytron the 5 discoidal striae are narrow and rather 

 finely punctured, but are much more deeply impressed at the base; the 

 intervals between these are nearly quite flat, and under the microscope 

 appear densely and minutely coriaceous; the outer striae are deep, but 

 not coarsely punctured, with subcarinate interstices, which, as well as 

 some of the adjoining ones, are traversed more or less by short trans- 

 verse impressions. 



Underside shining black; the middle of the head with short trans- 

 verse rugae, its sides with short, dense, very irregular rugosities; pro- 

 sternum irregularly punctate, flanks of mesosternum densely and rugosely; 

 abdomen finely sculptured, its last segment bipunctate at each side of the 

 middle at the apex. 



This bears a considerable resemblance to M. acuductum (2602), but 

 the thorax differs in form, being more abruptly contracted at the base; 

 there is no punctation near the anterior angles; the discoidal rugae are 

 more numerous, coarser, and interrupted, and no single one stretches 

 right across the disc; and, moreover, the lateral margins are not per- 

 ceptibly crenulate. The punctation of the outer elytral striae is entirely 

 different. In 2602 the punctures are deep and subquadrate, and the 

 transverse intervals between them are on about the same level as the 

 longitudinal interstices, just the reverse of what occurs in this species. 

 These are not sexual disparities, as my specimen of each species is of 

 the male sex. 



<J. Length, 26 mm. ; breadth, 8 mm. 



Silverstream, near Wellington. Mr. A. O'Connor informs me that 

 he secured several specimens, on different occasions, amongst moss at 

 the roots of birch-trees only. 



