808 MISCELLANEA ENTOMOLOGICA, NO. II. 



Antennce short, of nine or eight joints, the three last forming a 

 large sub-oval club. 



Thorax transversal, narrowed in front, serni-circularly rounded 

 at the base. 



Scutellum small, of curvilinear triangular form. 



Elytra very short, flat or little convex, rounded behind, generally 

 not covering the penultimate segment of the abdomen. 



Legs moderate, the posterior thighs strong ; the anterior tibiae 

 strongly tridentate, or sometimes bidentate, the terminal tooth not 

 perpendicular, the four posterior tibiae carinated and spiny ; the 

 tarsi slender, longer than the tibiae, their claws feebly arcuated 

 and simple. 



Abdomen very thick. 



Propygidium very large, often entirely exposed; pygidium 

 moderate, perpendicular, a little convex, of curvilinear triangular 

 form, as long as broad. 



The very large penultinate segment of the abdomen or propy- 

 gidium of Lacordaire, is the most marked distinguishing feature 

 of this genus. The species are very numerous, and are found in 

 all parts of Australia, feeding on the leaves of the various species 

 of Eucalyptus. The larvae have not been observed. 



The number of species coming within the limits of the genus, as 

 defined above, is so great, and their differences so minute, that to 

 characterize the whole of them so as to render the work of identi- 

 fication simple, I find it necessary to sub-divide the genus into 

 sections and sub-sections founded upon characters of more or less 

 importance, but all convenient and easy of observation. A few 

 explanatory observations on the points in the anatomy of these 

 insects, which are most useful in the determination of the species, 

 will, I believe, be found useful. 



By far the greater number of species of the genus Lipare- 

 trus have nine joints to the antennae, the others have eight. 

 Blanchard (1) divides the genus into 2 sections founded on 

 this character, while Burmeister (2) merely uses it as a 



(1) Coll. Ent. Mus. Paris, p. 103. 



(2) Handbuch der Entomologie IV., p. 194. 



