OF NEW ZEALAND. 259 



sinuated at each side, the punctation of the surface is coarse and distant 

 posteriorly and laterally, in front perceptibly finer, there are a few ap- 

 parently smooth spots in front, but on a close examination it may be 

 seen that these, as well as the intervals between the larger punctures, 

 are really covered with minute punctures. Scutcllum elongate-triangular. 

 The elytra are as broad as the thora.x, slightly narrowed in front, with 

 acute tubercular shoulders ; each has nine strise, impressed with less 

 than twenty diamond-shaped punctures. The three teeth of the front 

 tibicR are rather acute and curved ; the longer spur of the intermediate 

 tibia extends to the apex of the second tarsal joint, whilst that of the 

 posterior reaches just beyond the base of the second joint. 



Length, 2 lines. 



I found one specimen under a log at Tairua ; it is closely allied to 

 A. ex sculpt us. 



456. A. SUSpectUS, Sharp; Entom. Mo?i. Mag., vol. 13, /. 70, 

 Angustulus, parallelus, sat convexus, piceus, nitidus ; prothorace trans- 

 versim quadrato, elytrorum latitudine, fortiter punctate ; elytris fortiter 

 striato-punctatis, humeris baud acutis. 



Long. Corp., 4} mm. 



Very closely allied to A. exsculptus, but rather smaller and shorter, 

 and with the thorax less transverse ; the strise of the elyt^-a are a good 

 deal deeper, and their punctures are nearer to one another. Besides 

 these slighter characters, the two species present some more important 

 distinctions. The legs in A. suspectus are shorter, and the long spur of 

 the hind tibuc reaches as far as the apex of the second tarsal joint ; the 

 shoulders of the elytra are not acute, and the middle coxcc are not so 

 widely separated. 



An individual of this species was sent me some years ago by Mr. 

 Edwards, of San Francisco, with the number 1709 attached. 



Obs. — This species and the preceding (A. exsculptus), though allied 

 to the genera Saprosites, Eiiparia and Ata^uius, will not at present 

 satifactorily accord with any of them. I think, however, for the present, 

 they may be best placed in Saprosites, which is rather vaguely charac- 

 terised by Redtenbacher. 



457. A. pascoei. Sharp ; Eutoin. Mon. Mag., vol. 13, /. 71. 

 Since the above description was in print, I have received from Mr. 

 Pascoe a specimen of what appears to me to be another species of this 

 group ; it is very closely allied to A. suspectus, but is considerably larger, 

 the punctures of the thorax are rather more numerous, and the strice of 

 the elytra, as also their punctures, are somewhat finer, so that the inter- 

 stices are broader. The following diagnosis will characterise it : — 



Angustulus, parallelus, nigricans, nitidus ; prothorace transversim 

 (juadrato, elytrorum latitudine, fortiter punctato; elytris striato-punctatis; 

 interstitiis latis, humeris prominulis, vix acutis. 



Long. Corp., 5^ mm. 



Note. — Mr. Pascoe, it appears, had omitted to inform Dr. Sharp by 

 whom this species had been collected. I found a few specimens of 

 what I believe to be this species near Whangarei Heads. 



