192 STUDIES IN AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGY, 



three or four joints of the anterior tarsi, and the first two 

 joints of the middle tarsi spongiose below. (In P. gracilis. 

 Germ., (genus Anheterus of Putzeys), and P. distinctus, Sloane, 

 the tarsi are not spongiose below in the ^.) The last joint of the 

 tarsi is generally club-shaped, and much narrowed to the base ; 

 sometimes the joint is flattened, and wide at the base. The ventral 

 segments have strongly marked fovese on each side, often a trans- 

 verse linear impression extending inwards from the fovese towards 

 the middle of the segments, (rax'ely the impressions are almost 

 completely linear) ; the last segment has in the ^, a single 

 fine setigerous puncture, and in the 5 two punctures placed on 

 each side of the anus. (This is the case in all the Australian 

 species, but in Tasmanian species of the P. hrunniconiis' gvo\\\), 

 there are two punctures in each sex.) 



I have found myself greatly hampered by having to make out 

 nearly all de Castelnau's species, and some others, from descrip- 

 tions ; this is a difficult task in such a genus as Promecoderus,hvit, 

 as I have fortunately had a great many species before me, I 

 believe that my identifications of species are as nearly correct as 

 is possible under such circumstances. I do not think that any 

 of the species described as new in this paper are at all likely to 

 have been previously described ; and I know several other new- 

 species which I have had to pass over for the present, not having 

 seen certain described species to which they are allied. 



In regard to the puncturation often noticeable in the stride of 

 the elytra in the genus Promecoderus, I believe that this feature, 

 though used by de Castelnau and M. Putzeys, is of very little use 

 in determining species. My observations prove to me that in all 

 specimens which have been subjected to the action of spirits of 

 wine for any length of time, the presence of rows of punctures on 

 the elytra may be altogether disregarded, for even in such a 

 smooth species as P. lucidicollis, the fact of remaining in spirits 

 for some weeks will bring out rows of shallow punctures on the 

 elytra. Unfortunately, I have never myself collected any of the 

 species which are described as having punctated striae, except 

 P. pacijicus, my specimens of which were for some time 



