40 COLEOPTERA'. 



AtUrnnfif extendiufJ! to l)evond the middle of the body, with elonj^ate 

 joints, Ist longest and rather thiik(M- than the otliers, 2nd and 3rd globose. 

 Ilrad closely punetatc, longitudinally striate in front. Thorax as long as 

 broad, base and apex straight, the former .somewhat elevated, closely and 

 somewhat rugosely jmiutured. slightly bisulcate ; .strongly narrowed behind, 

 obsoletely dentate, front angles acutely produced. Ehjtra somewhat wider 

 than thorax, variegated with black. ])un(tate-striate to the extremity. 



iSimilar to 1*. silvnuoidcs, but (liiT<'riiig in the st rue tun* of the antennae, 

 colour, and sculpture. 



Length, 6-5 mm. 



Greymouth. Mr. R. Helms. 



Ohs'.—P. sptiger (1361) is, I think, identical. T. ii. 



(Jrou]) ( 'I'cr.jiD.MC. 



.■^090. Picrotus pensus sp. nov. (ieii., Man. X.Z. Coleopt., p. 1097. 



Convex, Tuedially depressed, liroadly oxal. shining, with a few slender 

 ^•rey hairs on the head ; head and thorax red, elytra paler, legs testaceous, 

 Antennae ferruginous. 



llrml oblong, exserted, not half width of thorax, with 3 distinct puncti- 

 form impressions on the middle of its base, and 2 or 3 less-detinite ones 

 near the prominent eyes, the space near the antennae finely and indistinctly 

 nigo.se. Thorax subquadrate, a third broader than long in the middle, 

 slightly curvedly narrowed {interiorly, apex subtruncate. with obtuse 

 angles ; lateral margins broad, flattened, and raised, prolonged backwards 

 And resting on the shoulders, with a groove parallel to each along the inside, 

 and somewhat expanded at the base, which is flat and depressed and widely 

 rtngulate at the middle, so that the very narrow extremity of the scutellum 

 only is xnisible. Ehjlra closely adapted to the thorax, of the same width at 

 the base, a third longer, curvedly narrowed posteriorly, without discernible 

 sculpture. 



Antennae pubescent, relatively long and robust; 3rd joint longer than 

 3nd or 4th ; joints 5-9 subequal ; 10th abruptly dilated, transverse, not 

 A8 long as the terminal one. Tibiae somewhat dilated and finely pubescent 

 towards the extremitv. Tarsi heteromerous, the front and intermediate 

 pairs n-articulate, the posterior with their basal 3 joints about equal, each 

 marked off Ix^low with a slender a])ic;'.l seta, all 3 comliined evidently shorter 

 than the 4th. 



Underside shining, pale red. Head pioportionally rather coarsely punc- 

 tate, and bearing fine yellow setae. Proslernum punctured, its flanks broad 

 nnd smooth, its process broadly and deeply grooved behind. Metasternum 

 with ;i few punctures, but smooth on the middle. Abdomen moderately 

 (inely punctate, with line yellow setae, which are most numerous on the ter- 

 minal segment; basal segment, at the sides, not twice the length of the 2nd, 

 but in the middle about as long as the following 3 taken together. Kpifdeurae 

 broad and smooth. 



Less oblong than /■'. sanguineus (1953). the thorax obviously shorter, its 

 <lisc without discernible punctures, the exposed portion of the scutellum 

 much smaller, the terminal joint of the antennae rather longer. In 1953 

 there are several fine yet distinct punctures behind the anteiuiae. but at the 

 back of the head there are only 2 indistinct impressions. 



In form it mor(^ nearly resembles P. thorueiens, from Westland, which, 

 however, luis the llth antennal joint smaller than the penultimate, whil.st 



