BY THE REV. T. BLACKBURN. 551 



Sericesthis erosa, sp.nov. 



(J. Minus elongata; postice leviter dilatata ; colore variabilis 

 (nigra, nonnuUis exemplis plus minus ferrugineis), nee pruinosa 

 nee iridescens nee velutina ; capite confertim fortius, pygidio 

 magis fortiter minus crebre, elytris fortiter vix rugulose, 

 punctulatis ] prothorace fortiter vermiculato-rugoso, longi- 

 tudinaliter sat late sulcato, sulco antice abbreviate ; elytris 

 sat manifeste 4-costatis; clypeo antice sat fequaliter rotundato, 

 medio vix sinuato, sat fortiter reflexo ; capite postice sat 

 tumido ; corpore sul>tus sparsim subtiliter (metasterno ad 

 latera crebrius fortius excepto) punctulato, sternis ad latera 

 feraoribusque pilis sparsis subfulvis vestitis ; tibiis anticis 

 extus sat fortiter tridentatis, dente femori proximo quam 2'^* 

 dimidio minore ; tarsis subtug baud lineatim setigeris ; tarso- 

 rum posticorum articulis primis 2 inter se subtequalibus ; 

 antennis 8-articulatis, flabello stipite vix longiori ; abdominis 

 segmento ultimo late vix emarginato, apice subreflexo. 



[Long. 41 lat. 2| lines. 

 ^. Latet. 



Evidently allied to the preceding, from which it does not seem 

 to differ except in respect of such characters as are specified above. 

 It is at once distinguished from all other Australian Sericoid 

 Melolonthidoe. known to me by the extraordinary close rugulosity of 

 its prothoracic sculpture ; it may be noted that the sculpture of the 

 head begins to assume this same vermiculate-rugulose appearance 

 in its extreme hinder part. Probably the female does not differ 

 much from the male except in the flabellum of the antennae being 

 shorter and the apical ventral segment not at all emarginate. The 

 elytra are very evidently less rugulose transversely than those of 

 *S'. dispar, from which the much shorter flabellum of the antennae 

 in the male is a structural character also strongly differentiating it. 



Port Lincoln. 



Sericesthis puncticollis, sp.nov. 



(J. Parum elongata ; postice sat dilatata ; nigra, pedibus rufis 

 (unico exemplo perspecto), nee pruinosa nee iridescens nee 



