Art. XVI. — On Nepkaris and other Ants Nest Beetles 

 taken by Mr. J. G. Goudie at Birchip. 



By ARTHUR M. LEA, F.E.S. 



(Comiiuinicated by J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S.). 



(With Plate XXVII.). 



[Eead 13th October, 1904]. 



Mr. J. C. Goudie, of Birchip, in the Mallee district, of north- 

 west Victoria, has recently been paying considerable attention 

 to ants' nests, with the result that he has obtained many 

 singular forms of beetles in them. All these he has allowed 

 me to see, and of most species has been able to spare several 

 specimens. The collection he has already made is so rich in 

 peculiar forms that I thought a paper containing descriptions 

 of the new species, with notes on the previously described ones, 

 would be of interest. The types of all the new species, and 

 specimens of most of the others, and of two kinds of ants, have 

 been placed in the National Museum, Melbourne. 



Some general remarks on ants' nest beetles may not be out 

 of place here, as I have myself paid considerable attention to 

 the nests of ants and termites in many parts of Australia, 

 and have taken many anomalous beetles in them. 



On examining a collection of such beetles one cannot help 

 but noticing the lai'ge proportion of species having less than 

 the usual number (11) of joints to each of the antennae. The 

 next most noticeable featiu-e is the frequency with which the 

 prothorax: is deeply and often very peculiarly sculptured ; 

 whilst another peculiarity is the method (usually by ridges or 

 grooves) by which, the appendages are protected. In many of 

 the species, moreover, the buccal appendages are often very 

 small, and in some of them quite invisible. In Australia (in- 

 cluding Tasmania) but one blind ant's-nest beetle (Tasmanica 

 myrmecophila. Lea) is known, but many are known from 

 Europe and North America. 



