July. "I GouDiK, Coleoptera of No)'th-Western Viclovia. 29 



prothorax black, with a metallic gloss ; the elytra piceous, 

 with a bronzy metallic tint. My specimens were taken on 

 low scrub. 



BUPRESTIDyC. 



The beauty of form and colour of the Buprcstidct is well known, 

 and excites the admiration of all. Naturally, collectors of 

 coleoptera are particularly keen* on them, and cheerfully face 

 the discomforts of the hottest day in the bush in the hope of 

 adding to the collection. They are essentially beetles of the 

 summer, occurring mostly during the months, of November, 

 December, and January. In this district many of the species 

 frequent the tops of the mallee scrub when the latter is in 

 blossom, and are captured by carefully bending down the 

 slender tops with the aid of a long hooked stick and shaking 

 them into an expanded umbrella. Low bushes and shrubs. 

 such as acacias) &c., are also favoured by them, and some 

 species are only to be found on a particular species of shrub. 



The wood-boring larvae — elongate, somewhat flattened grubs, 

 having the thoracic segments greatly enlarged — tunnel in the 

 roots, stems, and branches of various trees and shrubs. 



In IQ16 Mr. H. J. Carter, of Sydney, the well-known 

 authority on Buprestidae, contributed a paper to the Royal 

 Society of South Australia, entitled " Revision of the Genus 

 Stigmodera, and Descriptions of Some New Species of 

 Buprestida;."* In this valuable memoir, which should be in 

 the hands of every student of the group, the author tabulates 

 no less than 318 species of Stigmodera, and this after 204 names 

 have been sunk as synonyms ! 



In compiling the list of local species I have included all the 

 synonyms as given by Mr. Carter, and have followed his 

 arrangement of the species of Stigmodera under the sub-genera 

 Themognatha and Castiarina, none of the typical Stigmoderas 

 of Kerremans being found in this region. The nurnbers given 

 are those of Masters's " Catalogue." 



2623. Diadoxus erythrurus, White. 



2624. D. scalaris, L. and G. 



These common and handsomely marked species appear to 

 breed exclusively in the Murray pine. 

 Aslraus irregularis, V. de Poll. 



An extremely rare species, about three-quarters of an inch 

 long. The head and prothorax are dull i)urple, with yellow 

 spots ; the elytra yellow, with bluish markings, forming a 

 curious intricate pattern. It was described by Van de Poll 

 from a imique specimen in his collection. One of my speci- 



*" Transactions of the Royal Society of South .Vustralia," vol. xl., 

 1916. 



