BY THE REV. T. BLACKBURN. 157 



than the second ventral segment, which with the other ventral 

 segments is punctured moderately all across. The ventral series 

 are fine and not particularly conspicuous. The teeth of the 

 anterior tibiae are fairly robust and sharp, the uppermost being 

 about half the size of the second. 



N.B. — The identification of this insect has fared badly. The 

 original description unfortunately omits the following characters 

 without which certainty is hopeless apart from examination of the 

 type, viz., the relation of the labrum and the clypeus to each 

 other, the number of joints in the antennae, and the details of the 

 claws. The latter two are implied by the assignment of the 

 species to Silojm, but as the acceptance of this evidence would 

 place all Erichson's Ueteronyces in one small group of the genus 

 (viz., that with 9-jointed antennae and claws bifid at the apex) it 

 cannot be considered conclusive. Dr. Burmeister tabulates H. 

 nigellus, Er., as having 9-jointed antennae. M. Lacordaire ex- 

 pressly states that it has 8-jointed antennae, but adds that its 

 hinder claws are simple. The specimen described by me above 

 was taken in Tasmania and bears the name " nigellus, Er.," in the 

 collection of the Hon. W. Macleay. It agrees very fairly with 

 Erichson's description except in being somewhat larger than the 

 size given. But the character on which I rely most in its identi- 

 fication is the colour of the antennae which are pitchy black with 

 the base paler, — a character specially mentioned by Erichson, and 

 of which I know scarcely another example among the species of 

 Heteronyx that I have examined. I cannot help thinking that 

 M. Lacordaire's observation of the claws was inaccurate. 



H. DUBius, sp.nov. 



Sat elongatus ; postice minus dilatatus ; sat convexus ; piceo- 

 ferrugineus, antennis paipisque testaceis, pedibus in parte et 

 abdomine toto rufis ; capite crebre rugulose, prothorace fortiter 

 minus crebre, elytris fortiter subsquamose minus crebre, pygidio 

 (hoc capillis erectis vestito) sat crebre minus fortiter, punctulatis ; 

 tibiarum anticarum dentibus externis inferioribus 2 validis ; labro 



