COLEOPTEBA.—LEA. 213 



antenna' have from three 'to five basal joints and the tip of the eleventh pale, the 

 others being deeply infuseated; the head and prothorax are of a slightly redder 

 tone than the other pale parts. The excavation on its head occupies about one- 

 third of the vi^idth across eyes, its bottom is somewhat irregular and hind margin 

 semicircular ; only the five apical joints of its antenna:' are seen to be longer than 

 wide from most directions, but from several the two preceding joints seem also to 

 be longer than wide. On two males the metasternuni is dark ; on all the females 

 it is dark, and sometimes the mesosternum as well. On many of the females the 

 head, except at base, and upper portion of the first joint of antenna?, are more or 

 less deeply infuseated, on some only the muzzle is infuseated, on nine specimens 

 the head is entirely pale ; on several the apical joint of antenna? is entirely dark ; 

 the dark segments of the abdomen vary in number from one to three. There are 

 some fine punctures and strigosities behind the eyes, but they could be easily over- 

 looked ; there are no sharply defined punctures on the elytra. 



One male (also from Mount Tambourine) differs from the others in having 

 the excavation on the head larger, and at bottom with a distinct longitudinal ridge 

 (on the others the bottom of the excavation is obscured by a mealy substance), 

 and the antenna? entirely pale, although the basal joints are paler than the apical 

 ones. 



HELCOSASTER HACKERI sp. nov. 



^ Black; head, prothorax, and most of antennte and of legs flavous. 

 Sparsely clothed with white pubescence, and with a few dark hairs. 



Head wide, with a large, deep, interoeular excavation. Antennae rather 

 long, moderately serrated, apical joint almost as long as two preceding combined. 

 Prothorax distinctly transverse, apex wider than base, near base with a rather 

 wnde and deep, closed depression. Elytra moderately long; with rather dense 

 and minute rugulose punctures. Basal joint oP front tarsi with a black inner 

 comb. Length (cJ9), 2-25-3-5 nnn. 



$ Differs in being larger, head smaller, without tubercles or excavation, 

 with a shallow depression each side in front, and a shallow median line, punc- 

 tures sparser and more sharply defined, and black, except that the muzzle is 

 obscurely reddish ; the antennae are thinner and much darker, prothorax with 

 only the base and sides pale, and narrower across apex, abdomen larger and 

 wider, legs Avitli hardly more than the knees pale, and front tarsi simple. 



Hah. — Queensland: Bribie Island in August (H. Hacker and A. ]M. Lea) ; 

 Brisbane in October (Hacker). — Type, /. 11 905 in South Australian ^Museum; 

 cotype, C/2307 in Queensland Museum. 



One of the most interesting beetles occurring on the island. It is close to 

 H. foveiceps, to which the specimens at first glance appear to belong, but on that 

 species the sub-basal fovea? of the head leave a medio-basal space, which projects 

 subtriangularly forwards, the projection itself longitudinally grooved; on the 

 present species the place of the projection is taken bj^ a rather large depression, 



