72 



with two basal joints elongate, second, it anything, slightly longer 

 than first, none of the others transverse; club elongate. Prothorax 

 slightly transverse in female, slightly longer than Avide in male; 

 sides moderately rounded; with small, dense, more or less concea- 

 led punctures, and with small Tand frequently concealed) granules, 

 each of wliich has a central puncture. Scutellmn small but distinct. 

 Elytra ovate in female, elongate-ovate in male; with rows of rather 

 large punctures, appearing very small through clothing; third and 

 fifth interstices subtuberculate in places, but the third with a dis- 

 tinct tubercle at summit of posterior declivity. Legs long; femora 

 stout; front tibiae denticulate. Length (excluding rostrum) 7-11 mill. 

 Hab. : Australia (Berlin Museum and A. Bovie); Victoria (Natio- 

 nal Museum), Warragul (J. C. Gondie) ; Tasmania (D. Entom. 

 Nation. Museum of Berlin). 



.\n occasional specimen has the derm of the elytra reddish. The 

 scales a-e generally very dingy, but on some specimens under a 

 lens are seen to have a feeble, sometimes even a moderate, golden 

 or rosy gloss. On an occasional specimen there appears to he a 

 feeble white oblique stripe on each elytron. The set;e are dense, 

 thin and whitish on the under surface and appendages, stouter and 

 darker on the prothorax, and still darker on the elytra. The sub- 

 tubercular elevations on the elytra are usually rendered more 

 distinct by feeble fascicles; there often appears to be a rather more 

 prominent elevation on the fifth, some distance before the tubercle 

 on the third, the suture on its posterior declivity and the seventh 

 interstice are also sometimes subtuberculate. 



The antennae are at variance with the only other described species 

 (in(vqualis), but in all other generic details it agrees with that 

 species. The outlines of both sexes are somewhat like those of 

 Merimnetes aiistralis, but the two basal joints of funicle are diffe- 

 rently proportioned, the rostrum is not transversely impressed at 

 the base, and the elytra are tuberculate. In the present unsatisfac- 

 tory condihon of classification of our weevils, it seems almost a 

 matter of chance as to whether certain genera are referred to the 

 Rhyparosomides, Otiorhynchides (/ylindrorhmides, Brachyderides or 

 Leptopsides. 



leptopsidf:s 



543. LEPTOPS CASTELNAUI n. sp. 



Black very densely clothed with scales, thickly interspersed 

 with setae. 



Head with dense concealed punctures. Rostrum moderately long, 



