596 NEW SPECIES OF AUSTRALIAN COLEOPTBRA, 



Pascoe says : — "I have only been able to find one specimen to which 

 I think the following of Fahraeus s characters will apply — ' fronte 

 depressa, rugosa, griseo-squamosa, vix carinata '; as to the sides 

 of the prothorax ' pone medium fere parallelis '; and as to 

 the elytra ' st7-iis in disco Jiexuosis '; all the rest are characters 

 either common to many species or which may be expected to vary." 

 The character I have italicised is one which is common to all 

 the spinose species of Catasarois, and is one which is noticeable 

 in numerous striated insects having tubercles or spines on the 

 elytra; the striae either become interrupted and frequently termi- 

 nate at the tubercles, or else (as in the present species; make a 

 detour to avoid them. 



C. NITIDULUS. — Pascoe remarks : — •" This species may be con- 

 sidered as most allied to C. spinipennis, from which it will, how- 

 ever, be at once distinguished by its carinate front."* In the 

 tabulation it is separated from hrevicollis by having the " pro- 

 thorax less than twice as broad as long "; this is evidently only a 

 sexual chai'acter; Pascoe's specimen was probably an abraded ^. 



C. iNTERMEDius. — Evidently described from female specimens 

 having the anterior of the discal spines very small ; I have a 

 specimen in which these spines are almost obsolete. 



C. BELLicosus. — -In the tabulation mentioned as having " carina 

 near the eye well-marked;" possibly it is more distinct on account 

 of being "nearly without scales," but in any case the distinctness 

 or otherwise of this carina is subject to considerable variation, 

 and therefore not to be depended upon. The " head and rostrum 

 broad " would seem to imply that Pascoe's specimens were males. 



C. ECHIDNA. — " Closely allied to hellicosus, but, owing to the 

 more numerous scales, apparently very different." It seems 

 extraordinary that Mr. Pascoe, who in his time must have 

 examined many thousands of weevils, should make such a remark: 

 " The head and rostrum are, however, narrower, and the grooves 



See notes under " other variations." 



