124 ENTOMOLOGISK TIDSKRIFT 1912. 



It has been supposed that the species of the genera 

 OrcctosccHs and Clilamydopsis, due to their pecuhar external 

 organisation with short yellow hairs on the elytra live together 

 with ants, or »to be parasitic on fossorial Hymenoptera». 

 Mr. Blackburn found both his Chi. stcmalis and Chi. 

 imequalis »on the top of rotten fence posts in which Hyme- 

 noptera were making their nests» in different years and 

 different places. 



There is nothing known about the life-history of Eii. 

 comata Blackb. The only information the author gives is: 

 »a single species was found in a pool of water». 



I found my new species in the colony of a termite {^Entér- 

 ines sp., the species name will be recorded later on) under 

 a stone near the root of a big eucalypt not far away from 

 Williamstown in South Australia. The animal was quite 

 surrounded by workers and soldiers. I kept it in captivity 

 for some days together with the termites for making some 

 observations. Apparently the hairs in the pencils are hollow 

 and secrete a halffluid substance at the tips. Many times 

 I noticed the termites gather round these pencils sucking or 

 eating the secretion. On the living animal, these pencils are 

 a little more protruding to the sides. 



This is, I should say, the first real and true termitophi- 

 lous beetle known from the australian continent. It is peculiar 

 indeed, that so exceedingly few real termitophilous and 

 myrmecophilous insects have been recorded from Australia, 

 especially when we take in consideration how many new 

 and interesting species there are known from both the other 

 continents of the southern hemispher. P\irther investigations 

 might increase the number. 



