75 



the abdominal segments piceous, highly polished, and sparingly 

 pubescent. Legs sparingly setose. Length 20-22 mm. 

 Lord Howe Island. 



Allied to Ceresium pachymerujn, Pasc, but with the prothorax 

 broader and the legs darker in colour. 



ANTHRIBID^. 



Metadoticus, ffen. nov. (Pascoe in lUt.) 



Head almost as broad as long ; rostrum a little shorter than 

 the head, robust, slightly narrowed at the base, truncate in 

 front, the dorsal surface very slightly convex ; antennal 

 aerobes short, lateral and oblique. Eyes simple, very large 

 and convex, the granulation coarse. Antennae about as long 

 as the rostrum, head, and pro thorax together, slender, 11- 

 jointed; the first two enlarged, the 3rd to 8th slender, the last 

 three broadly dilated and depressed, formiiag a loose-jcinted 

 club, the terminal joint somewhat pointed at the apex. Pro- 

 thorax broadly transverse, greatly narrowed in front, the 

 sides for the basal half of their length and posterior margin 

 strongly elevated, the posterior angles acute. Scutellum 

 small, rounded behind. Elytra very short, strongly convex, 

 somewhat narrowed behind, at their base a little broader than 

 the prothorax, "svitli a large elongate crest-like elevation near 

 the base on each side of the scutellum, ths humeral angles 

 elevated. Legs rather long,- enlarged towards their extremity, 

 the anterior pair in both sexes compressed and longer than 

 the others ; tarsi with the 1st joint much longer than the 2nd, 

 the 3rd small, bilobed ; claws with a small arcuate tooth near 

 the base. In the female the anterior legs are longer than in 

 the male ; the tarsi are greatly enlarged and dilated. Pygidium 

 triangular. 



This genus appears to be very distinct from any known 

 Australian form, and I have some hesitation in indicating its 

 affinities ; it seems, however, to approach Lacordaire's group 

 Phloeophilides, especially to that portion of the group contain- 

 ing the genus Ethneca and allies. A species in the Australian 

 Museum bearing the MS. name Metadoticus mastersi, Pasc, is 

 evidently closely related to the species here described, and I 

 proj)ose to retain the generic name, as it does not appear to 

 have been appropriated in any other group. 



METADOTICrs PESTILENS, Sp. U. 



Ovate, strongly convex, pitchy-brown, rather closely covered 

 with ferruginous-grey pubescence. Head moderately convex, 

 densely pubescent, with an indistinct impression in front ; a 

 feeble median line. Antennse testaceous, the three terminal 



