Australian and Tasmanian Malacodermidae. ol 



var. liaemorrlioidalis, Wat. (Porrostoma), Trans. Ent. 

 Soc. Lond., 1877, p. 79, PI. II, figs. 61^-64^ 111. 

 Typ. Col, p. 49. 



var. plagiatus, Wat. (Forovstoma), Trans. Ent. Soc. 

 Lond., 1877, p. 80, PI. II, figs. 65-68; 111. Typ. 

 Col., p. 49, Pi. XII, fig. 8. 



var. lug%d)ris, Wat., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1877, p. 80, 

 PI. II, figs. 69-72 ; 111. Typ. Col., p. 50, PI. XII, 

 fig. 7. 



var. miles, Blackb., T. R. S., S.A., 1900, p. 54. 



The synonymy is very complicated* and is rendered 

 more difficult of elucidation owing to the brevity of some 

 of the older descriptions. 



Mr. Waterhouse in his first monograph, very briefly 

 describes as r^tjipennis a species which i believe to be 

 nothing but a small form of rhipidius, and throughout this 

 work he consistently refers to this form as rufipennis ; sub- 

 sequently, however, he regarded his salebrosits as riijipennis.'\ 



It seems to me that the description of miles was drawn 

 up from a female, differing to but a slight extent from the 

 normal salehrosuSy and I certainly cannot regard it as 

 worthy of a specific name. J 



I do not think that hrevirostris can have any connection 

 with this species, as the figure of the antenna is ditierent, 

 and the rostrum (despite the name) is figured (Plate I, fig. 

 14) as being longer than broad, and is so described (at 

 least it is said to be " scarcely longer than broad.") 



There is a specimen from the Leura Falls in Mr. 

 Froggatt's collection, which has the antennae distinctly 

 thicker than in the normal form ; although otherwise much 

 the same. 



* I believe the above references will have to be still further added 

 to. 



t He remarks in 111. Typ. Col., p. 49, "It is difficult to decide 

 whether Lycus rujipennis, F., should be considered identical with 

 P. eryihropter^tm, Er. (^rhipidius), or with P. salebrosum, W. I 

 have here adopted Erichson's view, by which the latter becomes 

 synonymous with the Fabrician species. I here also regard the 

 species with a short rostrum {salebrosus) as the rujipennis of 

 Fabricius. 



% I have, at any rate, a female from Victoria which agrees very 

 well indeed with Blackburn's description, and it appears to me to 

 be nothing but a very slight variety of salebrosus. 



