OF NEW ZEALAND. 557 



an elongate slender club, the undilated part of the ninth joint elongate 

 and longer than the whole of the club ; they are of yellowish colour, 

 with the basal joint and the club blackened. Head narrower than the 

 thorax, clothed with fine depressed scale-like hairs ; it is a little trans- 

 versely elevated on each side in front of the insertion of the antennae, 

 and has a fine indistinct elevated line on each side extending forwards 

 from the inner margin of the eye. Thorax transverse, quite as broad as 

 the elytra, densely clothed with scales, those along the middle generally 

 paler than the rest ; a little rounded at the sides, the front angles 

 absent, the hind ones obtuse, the basal line not straight but curved 

 towards the scutellum in the middle. The elytra are about twice as 

 long as the thorax ; each has ten rows of punctures (including the 

 marginal one), and a short accessory sutural row at the base ; they are 

 clothed with very fine scales, these are a little variegated and show some 

 darker obscure quadrate spots, most visible towards the extremity, each 

 has also an obscure elevation near the suture at the base. Under-side 

 clothed with pale grey fine hair-like scales. Legs pale greenish-yellow, 

 sub -transparent, the tarsi darker, especially towards the extremity. 



The !?iaks appear to vary greatly in the length of the antennse, and 

 to present no external characters by which they can certainly be distin- 

 guished from the other sex. 



Note. — This insect was originally described by Dr. Sharp as Laic- 

 sojiia longicornis ; I have, according to the author's expressed wish, 

 applied the name of its discoverer (Mr. T. Lawson, of Auckland) as its 

 specific, instead of generic cognomen. The species, I believe, is con- 

 fined to the North Island ; I have found it at Auckland and Tairua, 

 and Mr. C. M. Wakefield informed me that he had found some speci- 

 mens at Wellington. 



979. E. variabilis, Sharp ; Ent. Men. Mag., July, 1873. Ob- 

 hmga, sub-cylindrica, fusca, squamulis griseis vestita, elytris ante apicem 

 circulo (vel lineis duabus obliquis plus minusve distinctis) squamulorum 

 nigro-fuscorum ; pedibus sub-pellucidis, tarsis fuscis ; antennarum arti- 

 culi noni parte gracili brevi, quam clava baud longiore. 



Long. Corp., |^-2 lin. ; anten., 1^-3 lin. 



This species differs from E. lawsoni by the structure of the ninth 

 joint of the ante?uue ; this difference might well be supposed to be a 

 sexual one, were it not that it is always accompanied by a difference in 

 the colour and markings of the elytra, and also that I have satisfied 

 myself as to the existence of the two sexes in E. lawsotii. E. variabilis 

 varies greatly in size, but the antennfe seem not to vary in their develop- 

 ment, except in ratio with the size of the insect. The slender part of 

 the ninth joint of the antenna? is in this species so much abbreviated 

 as not to be longer than the length of the club. The elytra have 

 towards the extremity two oblicjue dark marks ; these may always be 

 traced, though sometimes they are but little evident, and sometimes the 

 whole space between them is covered with dark scales, so that there is 

 then near the extremity of the elytra a large common circular blotch. 

 The thorax appears to be always rather narrower, and the elytra more 



