«JA, [February, 



is identical with Pal a est rid a hicolor "White, the description of which 

 was probably unknown to him. This species seems to have a wide 

 range in Australia and to exhibit considerable variation, not only in size 

 but in the shape and sculpture of the thorax and in the colour of the 

 elvtra ; e.g. of two specimens from Queensland one is practically identical 

 with the types of assimilis Hope and hicolor White, the other is very 

 much larger, length IS mm., with a transverse thorax, of which the sides 

 are more strongly sinuate in front and the discal impressions much 

 stronger. This I take to be P. eucera Fairm. Were it alone this insect 

 might well be considered a distinct species, but a similar pair comes from 

 Swan lliverwith numerous intermediate forms. One specimen is labelled 

 "Victoria," another " Gawler, S.A." In a few cases the dorsal area of 

 the elytra is more or less clouded with black. P. quadrifoi'eata and 

 P. ru^ocincta I have not been able to determine with certainty, but 

 Blackburn was probably right (loc. cif.) in identifying P. quadrifoveata 

 with rufipennis Westw., though his assumption that both were identical 

 with ruhripennis Cast. Avas incorrect. P. rufocincta, from description, 

 would appear to be only a colour variety of the same species. Such a 

 variety of Palaestrida assimilis, though to a less marked degree, is 

 noted above, and analogous variation in the very similar Oedemei'id 

 genus Psei(doli/cics is highly developed. 



The three species assigned Avith some doubt by Macleay to Palae- 

 strida cannot, from the descriptions, belong to this genus ; they should 

 probably be placed in M.orpholycas Lea (fam. Oedemeridae). P.fiahelli- 

 cornis Macl. appears to be identical with M. serraticornis Lea. 



Certain species of Zonitis of similar coloration (Z. opacorufa 

 Fairm.) are apt to be confused with Palaestra and Palaestrida, but 

 may be distinguished by their slender antennae, the joints of which are 

 cylindrical instead of compressed and expanded. 



Palaestra and Palaestrida though closel}' allied may be separated 

 by the elytral sculpture. In Palaestra the elytra are glabrous, with the 

 suture and four sharply-defined, round, raised costae on each, the intervals 

 between the costae being rather coarsely rugulose punctate or granulate. 

 In Palaestrida they are closely and finely punctate and pubescent, each 

 with four raised costae, but these mei'ge more gradually into the intervals. 

 In Palaestra the sides of the thorax are usually angulate in the middle 

 and roundly emarginate in the anterior half, but this is only an exag- 

 gerated degree of the form found in Palaestrida (and frequently, too, in 

 Zonitis^, viz. strongh' narrowed in the anterior half, the sides sinuate 

 before the middle. 



