BY ARTHUR M. LEA. 491 



piceous with a coppery gloss; apex and sides of abdomen testa- 

 ceous, the tarsi, knees and trochanter ferruginous. 



Head densely punctate; clypeus strongly expanded on each 

 side. Prothorax moderately densely punctate, the sides not 

 strigose. Elytra densely and very distinctly punctate; epipleurae 

 not foveate. Length 3 mm. 



Hah. — Tam worth, N.S.W. (on orange trees). 



Appears to be allied to splendens, but very differently coloured. 

 The punctures are much coarser than in chalybeus. On one 

 specimen the dark marking of the prothorax somewhat resembles 

 a ± with the stem dilated in the middle; on a second specimen 

 it is more like a mushroom; on both it appears to be fuscous with 

 a coppery-green (or blue) gloss. 



Orcus Australasia, Boisd. 



This is a most variable species both as regards marking and 

 size. With the exception of C. transversalis it appears also to 

 be more widely distributed than any other Australian ladybird. 

 My specimens vary in length from 4 to 7 mm. The ground colour 

 is usually a bright metallic-blue, but I have specimens with a 

 decided greenish gloss and others which are almost black. On 

 typical specimens the spots vary considerably in size, and the 

 humeral one in shape; on the variety nummularU'^ the apical 

 spots vary considerably in shape. I have another distinctly 

 marked variety which I propose to name — 



Yar. quadrinotatus. 



In this variety the elytral spots are conjoined so as to form 

 two transverse markings on each elytron, those at the base being 

 more or less dumb-bell-shaped and interrupted close to suture; 

 the apical spots are large and irregularly transversely oblong. 

 All the specimens I have seen are from Western Australia; on 



* Mr. A. Koebele informed the Eev. T. Blackburn that he found nummu- 

 laris and AustralasicE to be distinct species, but in this he was certainly 

 mistaken. 



