20 [June. 



DESCEIPTIONS OF SOME NEW GENEEA AND SPECIES OF NEW 

 ZEALAND COLEOPTERA. 



BY D. SHARP, M.B. 



Some years ago, I received from Mr. Lawson, of Scarborough, 

 some beetles collected in ]S"ew Zealand by his brother, Mr. Thomas 

 Lawson, of Auckland ; and, subsequently, some additional species, in 

 which he thought I should be interested, were liberally placed at my 

 disposal by him. Captain Thomas Broun, of Auckland (now of Tairua), 

 shortly afterwards sent me a number of species, the greater part of 

 which I was obliged to return to him without names ; and, lately, this 

 gentleman has continued his entomological researches, and has for- 

 warded me from time to time a considerable number of intei'esting 

 species, a large proportion of which are undescribed. I have also 

 received from Henry Edwards, Esq., of San Erancisco, some interest- 

 ing species collected by him some years ago in New Zealand ; and I 

 may mention that Cajjtain Hutton, of Dunedin, also forwarded me a 

 lot of beetles from the southern parts of the islands, but these, to my 

 great regret, were lost in the post. 



I have thus had the opportunity of examining a pretty good num- 

 ber of beetles from this interesting part of the world ; but I am sure 

 that those I have seen form only a small portion of the existing forms, 

 and I feel pretty confident that the New Zealand species of the Order 

 will reach the number of two or three thousand. 



I now propose describing a few forms, many of which are of con- 

 siderable interest, from the impossibility of reconciling them even 

 with the best and most recent classifications. It would of course be 

 premature at present to attempt to pronounce an opinion on the New 

 Zealand Coleopterous fauna as a whole, but it is already certain, that 

 highly specialized forms are in less proportion to the little specialized 

 forms than is the case in the Northern portions of the Old World. 

 At the same time, such forms are by no means absent ; for instance, 

 several indigenous species of Cicindela have been found. 



Most of the new genera to be now described are what are called 

 synthetic forms, i. e., forms in which the characters of what may be 

 considered distinct groups are combined in one insect. These new 

 genera are nine in number, viz., 1 of Catopidce, 1 of Colydiidce, 3 of 

 Tenehrionidce, and 4 of Chrysomelidcd. 



HVDROPORUS AVaKEFIELDI, 11. sp. 



Fuscus, suh-opncH^, prdibus tcstaceis, thovnce lateribus, eli/f risque 



