Australian and Tasmanian Cryiitoccphalides. 359 



or not) post-median spots ; in all the paler varieties the 

 pygidium and apical segment of abdomen are pallid ; a 

 male before me has the prothorax, abdomen and pygidium 

 black, but the elytra as in the type. A common variety 

 of the male is entirely piceous black with the legs and 

 antennse in parts paler ; rarely the whole insect is dark. 



The female rarely resembles the type in colour and 

 varies from 2 (vix) to 2i mm. ; the normal form is pallid 

 except for the head, terminal joints of antennae, scutellum, 

 and the base of both prothorax and elytra, and usually 

 (but not always) a small post-median spot on each elytron. 

 In a female in the Macleay Museum the prothorax is 

 clouded in front (except at the extreme apex) ; the scutellum 

 and a rather wide space at base of elytra, the suture and 

 four post-median spots are dark. 



Cryptocephalus tricolor. Fab. 



(Plate XXV, fig. 156.) 



I have before me the sexes (four males and three females) 

 of a species which I believe to be tricolor, Fabricius' 

 description is brief enough, but he describes the abdomen as 

 " albidum." Commenting on the species Suffrian remarks : 

 — " I do not know this species, the one which I consider 

 closest to the description is viridipcnnis, Saund." It appears 

 to me that viridipeymis, Saund. (jjcrlongus, Chp.), cannot 

 possibly be tricolor, which is described as "parvus" whilst 

 viridipenoiis is a large species; its abdominal clothing is 

 certainly whitish, but it is sparse and indistinct. It is also 

 very unlikely that Fabricius would have described as a 

 variety of tricolm' a species which has been referred to 

 censors, had tricolor been at all like viridipcnnis* The 

 species I believe to be tricolor is small and has the abdomen 

 very pale flavous (in two females it might fairly be called 

 dingy white), its prothoracic margins are rather wide, the 

 scutellum is flat, impunctate, triangular (but truncate at 

 tip) and notched at base ; the tarsi are blackish. The 

 male is smaller than the female (male 2|, female 3;^ mm.) 

 and has longer antennse : in two males the elytra are blue, 

 in the other male, and in all the females they are coppery- 

 green. 



* And if the type is a male it could not possibly be viridipennis. 



