Coleoptera Fart I. 131 



the three is usually nearer the terminal one than the one near 

 the apex, but is sometimes midway. 



The females (excluding the mandibles) vary in length from 15 

 to 20 mm., and Mr. Hacker has well described their variation in 

 colour, but the head is always of the same fiery red as that of 

 the male. 



A specimen with long mandibles was sent to Dr. G^estro for 

 comparison with X adolphinae, and in reply he stated: — "I 

 have compared it with the types of N. adolpliinae ; the differ- 

 ences are only slight, notwithstanding they are sufficient to dis- 

 tinguish the two species (or the two races). The species from 

 Mt. Arfak is less polished, the mandibles are not so robust, and 

 the punctures of the prothorax are slightly different." 



La7npri77ia 'aurata, Latr., var. vinriae^ n. var. 



J . Purple ; parts of under surface metallic coppery green. 



? . Coppery-purple with violet reflections ; under surface 

 coppery red. 



Eah. — -Tasmania : Maria Island ( W. F. MeCulloch). 



Mr. MeCulloch has given me six specimens of each sex of this 

 beautiful variety, all taken from old roots of "■ Stringy-bark " 

 during grubbing operations. 



The head is usually of the same colour as the general sur- 

 face, but occasionally has a metallic green gloss. The legs of 

 the male are mostly purple, but the tarsi are more or less 

 metallic blue, and the femora usually have a coppery gloss. 

 The legs of the female are beautifully variegated from a fiery 

 red to deep purple, with brilliant greens and blues. 



As I am unable to find any structural differences between the 

 present form and aurate, it is simply described as a variety of 

 that species. It is, however, quite as distinct from the typical 

 form of that species as is rutilans. Some of the specimens seem 

 to have a tendency to the deep coppery red of that variety. 



Cleridae. 



AUelidea ? brevipentiis, Pasc. 

 There are two Victorian specimens which I refer with some 

 doubt to this species. In both the tarsi are dark (almost 



