CLERIDAE. 689 



4287. Phymatophaea nigricornis sp. nov. 



Nitid, head and thorax purple; elytra bright dark - greenish - blue, 

 each with a slightly raised, oblique fulvous spot before the middle and 

 almost touching the suture, and another longer fascia extending from 

 the side more than half-way towards the suture ; legs and tarsi dark 

 purple, antennae intuscate black ; sparingly clothed with slender upright 

 infuscate hairs. 



Head finely and closely punctured between the prominent eyes, less 

 distinctly and more distantly behind. Thorax, including the lateral 

 prominences behind the middle, of almost the same length and breadth, 

 more obliquely narrowed behind than in front, finely and irregularly 

 punctured, nearly smooth along the middle. Elytra about thrice the 

 length of but hardly a third broader than thorax, straight-sided ; with 

 the usual basal elevations, their distinct subseriate punctation extends 

 to the hind thighs but becomes much finer and more distant behind. 



The nigrescent antennae, dark legs, fulvous elytral fasciae, &c., differ- 

 entiate this from P. violacea (608) and Sharpe's P. hilar is (609). 



Length, 5h mm. ; breadth, 1^ mm. 



Moreri, south-western Otago. Described from a specimen found by 

 Mr. H. Hamilton, of the Dominion Museum, Wellington. 



4288. Phymatophaea brevicollis sp. nov. 



Shining, fulvescent, head and thorax rather more rufescent, the 

 posterior transverse fasciae of the elytra, except at the external margin, 

 surrounded by a broad bright purple band extending to the suture ; 

 terminal three joints of the tarsi and antennal club, except the narrow 

 basal portion of the latter, nigrescent ; pubescence scanty, erect, slender 

 and greyish. 



Head rather finely and closely punctured, nearly smooth behind. 

 Thorax slightly broader than long, a little constricted in front, its sides 

 somewhat depressed and curved for nearly half of its whole length ; disc 

 smooth, finely and sparingly punctate elsewhere. Scutellum transverse. 

 Elytra quite thrice the length of thorax, a third broader, slightly expanded 

 backwards, their apices subtruncate near the suture so that the ventral 

 segment is much exposed ; they are distantly and moderately punctate 

 in front, more finely behind, the posterior fasciae and their purple margins 

 are, however, nearly smooth ; the oblique ante-median spots are elevated, 

 the larger basal elevations are obtuse and the space between them slightly 

 violaceous. 



Most nearly allied to P. ignea (1397) ; differentiated therefrom by its 

 more robust form, evidently broader thorax, and subtruncate elytral apices. 



Length, 7| mm. ; breadth, 2h mm. 



Bluff. A single specimen, sent by Mr. A. Philpott, of Invercargill. 



4289. Phymatophaea formosa sp. nov. 



Body brilliant purple, the ante-median spots and posterior fasciae of 

 elytra bright yellow, the antennae, including the basal portion of the 

 joints of the club fulvescent, club elsewhere dull fuscous ; femora fusco- 

 violaceous but dark fulvous at the base, tibiae also dark fulvous but 

 nigrescent near the extremity, the hinder pairs much loss so ; tarsi nigrescent ; 

 sparingly clothed with inconspicuous slender erect infuscate setae. 



