BY THOMAS G. SLOANE. 567 



All the Australian species have the pronotum and the lateral 

 parts of the underside (including prosternum and mesosternum) 

 covered with large punctures; also in a general way all these 

 punctures are setigerous : the ventral segments have the anterior 

 margins crenulate-punctate. 



Chaudoir says that in Epicosmus the apical joint of the palps 

 has the form of a triangle with the sides almost equal, broader 

 in (J than in 9; but I do not find this sexual character sufficiently 

 distinctive to be of much use, for these joints are so compressed 

 that their apparent width varies according to the point of view 

 from which they are observed. I infer from Chaudoir's treat- 

 ment of the Australian species that he considered the shape of 

 the prothorax the same in both sexes; but this does not seem to 

 be the case, my observations going to support the view that in ^ 

 the prothorax is narrower (often decidedly so), particularly at the 

 base, and often has the posterior part of the sides more strongly 

 sinuate than in ^. E. australis, Dej., is unknown to me in 

 nature. 



According to Chaudoir, all the species of the genus Epicosmus 

 liave j^ellowish spots on the elytra. This indicates that the spots 

 are of some advantage to these insects; probably they are of a pro- 

 tective nature to warn insect-feeders against them, for they emit 

 an acrid fluid with a most searching and pungent odour, which 

 suggests that they must be anything but dainty articles of diet. 

 Our species are found in dry forest lands, and not about damp 



places or marshes. 



Table of Species. 



Prothorax with basal angles rounded, not dentate. J E. insignis, Schaum. 



(Elytra very wide and convex) 1 ^. macleayi, SI. 



Prothorax with basal angles sharply marked and dentate. 



Elytra with at least third, fifth and seventh interstices forming strongly 

 raised ridges, with summits nitid and not, or hardly punctate. 

 Elytral interstices subequal, third, fifth and seventh not decidedly more 

 raised than fourth and sixth in middle. (Form stout, elytral 

 spots orange). 



Inflexed margins of elytra black' E. obesulus, SI. 



Inflexed margins of elytra with a reddish mark towards base (beneath 

 anterior spot of upper surface). 



