406 REVISIONAL NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN CARABIDjE, iv., 



degree of difference between the uninterrupted form of junction 

 as in N. rainbowi, and the strongly dentate form as in N. eques. 



Setiferous pores of elytral interstices. — I look upon it as an 

 ancient character to have the third, fifth, and seventh interstices 

 bearing setiferous pores. These occur in the genus Ceratoferonia, 

 and, on the third and fifth interstices, in some of our species of 

 Trichosternus ; many Trigonomides of New Zealand have the 

 seventh interstice punctate. The pluripunctate form of the third 

 interstice is probably older than the bipunctate form. There is 

 undoubtedly a tendency, throughout the genus Notonomus, for 

 the number of setiferous pores on the third interstice to be 

 reduced to two, but it cannot be said that the presence of only 

 two punctures necessarily implies relationship between all 

 bipunctate species; though, that there is some taxonomic import- 

 ance attached to the presence of only two punctures, is impressed 

 on the mind by the fact, that all the species of the opacicollis- 

 group and the typical forms of the kingi-growp are bipunctate; 

 nevertheless, some other characters must be sought for before 

 any near affinity can be recognised between species with the 

 third interstice bipunctate. It may be suggested, as a theory, 

 that the two setiferous pores of the third interstice, which are 

 now the only ones found in so many species, must have been of 

 more economic importance to the species of Notonomus than the 

 other pores, such as are now found in N. pluripunctatus and many 

 other species; and, therefore, have invariably persisted, while 

 the other pores, being less important, have been lost, so that 

 no species of Notonomus has the third interstice of the elytra 

 with less than two punctures, and these similarly placed. Such 

 an hypothesis will account for species, that are not nearly related, 

 having the number of setiferous pores reduced to two, and will 

 also enable it to be understood why a considerable taxonomic 

 value may be attributed to this apparently trivial character in 

 some groups of the genus. 



Prosternum. — A complete border along the anterior margin of 

 the prosternum is found only in N. mediosulcatus; sometimes this 

 feature is fairly well developed in N. macoyi, but it is not con- 

 stant in that species. Having attributed too much importance 



