BY THE REV. T. BLACKBURN. 535 



CoLPOCHiLA (Haplonycha) obesa, Bumi. 



' It appears to me extremely doubtful whether this is identical 

 with Melolontha obesa, Boisd., (as Burmeister supposes it to be). 

 The descrijDtion of M. obesa, like most'of those in the " Voy. de 

 I'Astr.," is abbreviated to such a degree as to be almost useless, 

 but nevertheless the colour is there stated as " castanea, capite 

 thoraceque nigi'is " (the other characters mentioned being appli- 

 cable to almost any species of several genera), and it seems 

 unreasonable to re-describe this insect as being " wholly cas- 

 taneous " unless with a distinct assertion that the type has been 

 examined and the original description proved erroneous ; but, on 

 the contrary, it is clearly to be inferred from his remarks on 

 several other species that Burmeister did not examine Boisduval's 

 types. The species of Colpochila are not variable in colour as a 

 rule, — indeed among all the specimens I have examined of the 

 genus I doubt if I have seen any that are as remarkable colour 

 varieties a.s M. obesa, Boisd., would be if it were a var. of obesa, 

 Burm. As I have not seen a specimen which I can identify with 

 Boisduval's description, I shall not at present go so far as to 

 propose a new name for C. {Haplonycha) obesa, Burm., but I have 

 little doubt it will require a new name eventually. The following 

 remarks will supplement Burraeister's description and assist the 

 identification of his species, which is a well-known N.S. Wales 

 insect, and seems to be (as Burmeister calls it) "common." 



It is a shorter species and more dilated behind than any 

 described near ally known to me ; in a measured example (female) 

 I find the greatest width across the elytra to be f of the length of 

 the whole insect and half again the greatest width across the 

 prothorax. The colour is bright brownish-castaneous, with the 

 hind body and hind legs a little darker than the rest. The head 

 is short, — the clypeus being at its base decidedly more than twice 

 as wide as it is long down the middle. The greatest width of the 

 prothorax is quite twice the length (down the middle) of the same, 

 the base just about half again as wide as the front margin, which 

 is only moderately emarginate and has angles but little prominent ; 



