BY THE REV. T. BLACKBURN. 321 



I find variation within the limits of the species before me {e.g., in 

 D. major and sericea it is less distinct from the funicle than in D. 

 silacea but certainly not closely united to it). I have an insect 

 which seems to agree specifically with the description of Brexius 

 murinus, Pasc, but I cannot think it distinct from Desiantha. 

 The club of its antenna is less distinct than in D. major but its 

 hind corbels are not more decidedly cavernous. 



Desiantha nigra, sp.nov. 



Oblonga ; nigra, antennis (clava excepta") tibiis tarsisque 

 rufis ; squamulis griseis subtilibus setulisque ochraceis vestita; 

 rostro sat nitido minus elongato ; prothorace oblongo subtilius 

 confertim necrugulose punctulato ; elytris punctulato-striatis, 

 puncturis sat quadratis, interstitiis convexis, singulo elytro 

 apice in processu conico producto ; corpore subtus fortiter sat 

 crebre punctulato. [Long. 4, lat. 1^ lines. 



In company with the specimens having the apex of the elytra 

 produced I found several in which the apex was simply r"ounded, 

 but apparently difiiering in no other way ; I take the difference to 

 be sexual, This species must be near D. catodata, Pasc, (from 

 Victoria), but apart from colour (which is quite uniform in all the 

 specimens I have seen) it diflers probably in the finer and smoother 

 puncturation of the prothorax which furnishes a structural distinc- 

 tion from D. silacea, Pasc. ; whereas Mr. Pascoe describes the 

 prothoracic puncturation of caudata and silacea in the same terms. 

 It may be remarked that D. 7iigra seems to be very easilj abraded 

 as nearly all the examples I have seen are almost devoid of scales 

 and have lost most of their erect setulte. The rostrum is of the 

 length of the prothorax. 



S.A., occurs near Woodville, generally in flood refuse. 



Desiantha major, sp.nov. 



Elongato-oblonga ; nigra ; squamulis sat crassis setulisque 

 erectis griseis vel fusco-griseis sat dense minus sequaliter 

 vestita ; rostro sat nitido minus elongato ; prothorace oblongo 

 minus subtiliter paullo rugulose punctulato; elytris punctulato- 



