6y a. m. lea. 723 



Hab. — Western Australia: Swan River (A. M. Lea); unique. 



Much smaller than any previously described species, with the 

 prothoracic excavation unusually small and shallow (it scarcely 

 occupies one-third of the width of the prothorax), and the 

 cephalic horn very small and simple (scarcely half the length of 

 that of N. simplex). At first glance, the type bears a strong 

 superficial resemblance to the males of Isodon pecuarius, but the 

 horn is on the head, not on the prothorax. 



Cryptodus aberrans, n.sp. 



Black, not very highly polished (the elytra subopaque;, parts 

 of undersurface and of legs obscurely diluted with red, club of 

 antennae paler. Upper surface almost glabrous, undersurface 

 sparsely and irregularly clothed, pygidium with a few short set?e. 



Head with rather large but not very dense punctures; clypeus 

 with front margin rather strongly elevated and truncate, lateral 

 inargins lightly elevated and oblique, suture well defined towards 

 sides but obsolete in middle, where the surface is slightly elevated; 

 iiientum large, with large, shallow punctures, depressed in front, 

 base rather lightly notched, with a few setfe and long bristles. 

 Antenna? apparently nine-jointed, club three-jointed. Prothorax 

 rather strongly convex, about once and one-half as wide as long, 

 sides strongly rounded, base bisinuate, front angles obtusely pro- 

 duced, the hind ones rounded ofl:*, median line rather vague; with 

 fairly large but nowhere crowded punctures. Elyti-a at base the 

 width of prothorax, slightly dilated to beyond the middle; surface 

 finely shagreened, with well-defined rows of fairly large punc- 

 tures towards suture, but becoming smaller and irregular towards 

 side and apex. Pygidium with fairly large but rather shallow 

 punctures. Four hind tihicH strongly serrate or digitate at apex, 

 each notch with a seta; front claws simple. Length, 11 mm. 



Hah. — Northern Territory: Darwin (N. Davies); unique. 



In its comparatively small size, convex body, and general 

 appearance, the present species certainly does not look a 

 CryjHodus;* but the wide mentum concealing all the mouth-parts 



* Neither does C. yrossipes, at first glance, appear to belong to the genus, 

 but its remarkable mentum is almost exactly as in C. caviceps, which is 

 quite an ordinary species of Cryptoda-^. 



