358 



NOTEiS OX' THE GEiNUS IjISS'OTBS. 



very densely and coarsely punctate; striation and inter- 

 stices very ill-defined. Length 13 — 17 (female 12^ — 15) 

 mm. 



Hab. — Tasmania: Zeehan (K. Findlay), Strahan 

 (Aug. Simson), Magnet (O. L. Adams), Waratah (A. M. 

 Lea). 



Westwood's figure of crenatus will give a good 

 general idea of this species, but the tips of mandibles, 

 middle of prothorax, and mentum, etc., are different. The 

 smaller specimens in some respects are close to the de- 

 scription of forcipula, but the head is convex, and West- 

 wood's remark, " the anterior portion forming a large 

 semi-circular depressed space, extending from the outer 

 angles of the base of the mandibles nearly to the hind 

 margin of the head," does not apply to one of the 65 

 males before me. Forcipula also is a considerably and 

 consistently smaller species, with different punctures and 

 clothing, and so far as I am aware only occurs about 

 Hobart, whilst this species is only known from the west. 

 At first sight it is very close to rudis, but the mandibles 

 are less robust, and when seen from the sides appear tri-- 

 ■cuspidate, instead of bicuspidate, this being consistently 

 the case in all the numerous specimens of both species 

 before me, except in a few with much smaller mandibles 

 than usual. Compare figures 34 and 35 (rudis) with 39 

 and 40 (punctatus). 



On an occasional specimen there are a few hairs or 

 setae on the elytra, in addition to those on the sides. The 

 mandibles when viewed from the sides appear to have 

 two more or less conjoined tubercles on the upper sur- 

 face, and these vary considerably in elevation and in size; 

 there is usually also a swelling below them, so that the 

 lower surface appears to be tricuspidate. ]\Iost males 

 iiave the mandibles strongly curved and rather long, but 

 on some small specimens they are shorter and stouter, 

 so that when clenched the space they enclose is very much 

 smaller in proportion than on the larger specimens. 

 These small specimens also usually have the cephalic 

 punctures considerably denser. The front tibise usually 

 have five or six strong teeth, with usually smaller ones 

 inserted l^etween them (except between the first and 

 second) ; but they are often different on the different sides 

 of an individual. 



