59G STUDIES IX AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOm, NO. XII., 



With regard to the vesture of the underside of the tarsi in 

 Castp.lneaudia and allied genera, it nla}- be noted that it is usual 

 in Castehieaudia for the male to have the three basal joints of 

 the anterior tarsi dilatate and squamulose beneath {e.cj., C. vigorsi, 

 C. cyanea^ C. cordafa, C. afroviridis, C. obscuripennis, kc). 

 Homalosoma atlaft, Casteln., has only two basal joints slightly 

 dilatate, and biseriately squamulose in middle of lower side; 

 Homahsoma hnpericde,'^ SI., has (from ^ in my Coll.) the anterior 

 tarsi neither dilatate nor squamulose beneath. Pachynielas 

 curtiis,'^ Cbaud. (from ^ in my Coll.), Paranurus ynacleayi, SI., 

 and JVuridius/ortis, SI., have the anterior tarsi neither dilatate 

 nor squamulose. These variations suggest that too much reliance 

 cannot be placed on the form of the anterior tarsi in the ^ among 

 the large Platysmatini; and they help to confirm the opinion, 

 long held by me, that any classification founded on such secondary 

 sexual features must prove too unsatisfactory for practical use. 



Castelneaudia obesa, Castelnau. 



Feronia (Homalosoma) obesa. Casteln., Trans. Roy. Soc. Vict. 

 viii. 1868, p. 204. 



I have recently seen a specimen of C. (Homalosoma) obesa, 

 Casteln., in the Howitt Coll., where were also specimens of C. 

 (Homalosoma) atlas, Casteln. No specimens of C. brevis, Motsch., 

 or C. latipennis, SI., were available for comparison Mith C. obesa, 

 and my time was too limited to make a detailed description of it, 

 so that I have merely the following brief note on it. C. obesa 

 (9) of similar fades to C. atlas, but smaller, prothorax with 

 anterior angles sharply advanced; C. atlas (Q) Avith anterior 

 angles of prothorax obtuse and not advanced. 



* The discovery, that in the J of these two species the anterior tarsi are 

 naked beneath, gives a partially negative answer to M. Tschitscherine's 

 statement concerning the anterior tarsi in the five species he attributes to 

 the genus Nnrus (Hor. Soc. Ent. Eoss., xxxv., 1902, p. 516). 



