Broun. — Revifnon af the yew Zealand Cossonidae. 



153 



margins ; then the common pubescent Sericotrogus, comparing the form 

 of its head, the position of the coxpp, and structure of the lower surface 

 with those of the standard. The training of the faculty of observation thus 

 acquired will be invaluable when the specific names of. members of the more 

 complex or rare genera have to be decided by the examination of single 

 examples. 



\Mien reading descriptions the inexperienced entomologist should re- 

 member that what is termed coarse sculpture, or vestiture, in the case of 

 a minute insect would be considered to be only moderate, or even fine, in 

 one of greater bulk. Mistakes are liable to occur through forgetfulness 

 to make due allowance for such details. 



In the descri])tive portion of this memoir the habitat of every species, 

 so far as known to me, has been recorded, but, as no reference has been 

 made to modes of life, som.e brief remarks on this subject may be of 

 interest. 



The greater number have been obtained promiscuously by being dis- 

 lodged from shrubs or branches of trees at times when special notes of their 

 capture could not be recorded, others were found under bark or adhering 

 to the underside of logs, and a few were cut out of solid wood. 



Several very curious, though small, genera and species — two of them 

 blind, or nearly so — are only found amongst decaying leaves, on the ground. 

 The genus Pselactus, consisting of two species, and the last three attached 

 to Eutornus, are inhabitants of the sea-shore. The three species of Novitas 

 seem to live almost wholly on Phormiurn tenax, and one of Pklceophagosoma 

 was taken out of the seed-vessels of that plant. 



Our native palm, Areca sapida, has yielded no less than four remarkable 

 genera, but in order to search for and secure these I had to cut down more 

 than one of the palms with my tomahawk, and to break off and carefully 

 examine each frond separately. 



The most important genus, from a commercial point of view — Xenocnema 

 — occurs in Agathis [Dammara) australis. Its destructive propensities M^ere 

 observed by me over thirty years ago. The paper prepared regarding its 

 ravages will be found in vol. ix, page 366, of the " Transactions of the New 

 Zealand Institute." 



LIST OF THE NEW ZEALAND COSfiONIDM. 



No. PBNTARTHRIDES. 



Pentarthrum, Wollaston. 



903. zealandicum. ^^'ollastoll 

 2195. amicum, Broun 

 2189. fuUoni, Broun 

 1627. proximum. Brovui . . 



911. hrevirostre, iSharj) . . 

 1304. ruficorne. Broun 

 philpotti. Broiui 

 1548. melatiosiernum, Broun 

 1300. puHCtirostre. Broun 

 planicoUe, Broun * . . 



905. subsericalum. Wollaston 



909. assimihttum. Broun 

 1298. rediictum, Broun 



907. bninneiim, Broun . . 

 2191. nubilum, Broun 



Toiiropsis, Bi'oun. 

 925. pi()icf((tiis, Broun . . 



159 



Torostoma, Broun. 

 906. (iptcate, Broun 



163 



