Notes on Australasian and North American Trichopterygia.; 

 loith descriftions of four new species: by tlie Kev. A. 

 Matthews, M.A., Oxon. 



Some time ago Dr. Sharp received an exceedingly inte- 

 resting collection of Trichopterygia from Mr. Lawson, hy 

 whom they had been found cliietly in the neighbourhood of 

 Auckland, in New Zealand, and very kindly forwarded tlie 

 entire lot to me for examination. 



I was much pleased to find among them a large series 

 (72 specimens) of Actinoptcryx australis, the species dis- 

 covered by Mr. Brewer on the banks of the Swan Eiver, in 

 Australia. A large majority of these were females, and so 

 unlike tlie other sex that at first I was disposed to think 

 that they must belong to a different genus, but a careful 

 examination soon convinced me of my error. In this 

 species the thorax is covered with a very thick and very 

 rough epidermis, and when this had been removed the 

 peculiar and characteristic sculpture of Act. australis was 

 exhibited with equal precision in both forms. In shape 

 the sexes are totally dissimilar. In the male the thorax is 

 very much dilated, and the elytra are narrow and rather 

 straight; in the female the thorax is not wider than the 

 elytra, and the elytra are short and rounded at the sides ; 

 the female insect is also considerably smaller than the male, 

 and presents an appearance much resembling Trich. seri- 

 cans and its allies. A sexual difference of form is rare 

 among the Tridiopterygia ; it is, however, occasionally met 

 with, especially in Ptinellodcs and AstatojJtcryx, and in Act. 

 australis become excessive. 



In this collection I also found many specimens of a new 

 species of Aetidiiim, and seven of a Trichopteryx, which 

 puzzled me extremely ; the antennae, legs, and superficial 

 sculpture of all the seven are similar, while in some speci- 

 mens the thorax is dilated after the manner of T. atomaria, 

 and in others more quadrate, resembling in form that of T. 

 Montandonii. But I am inclined to consider this variation 

 as sexual, and have included both forms under one species. 



Y 



Cl.STULA ENTOMOLOGICA, 



December 21s^ 18V4, 



