Australian and Tasmanian Malacodcrmidac. 87 



In the female the antennal joints are simply rounded on 

 their inner edges, but in the male the 3rd-9th joints are 

 slightly produced at the tip, so as to appear subpectinate. 

 In all the specimens before me the elytra when in position 

 do not touch except at their tips and near the base ; this, 

 however, is quite a common feature in the genus. The red- 

 dish margins of the prothorax occupy about half its sur- 

 face. Some specimens have the elytra entirely dark 

 except for the sutural and external costae and a space at 

 the open ; in others the reddish markings are continued 

 along the costae ; some specimens have the elytra entirely 

 reddish except for a slight infuscation about the scutellum, 

 whilst others have the disc of each (including the costae or 

 not) longitudinally infuscate. In some specimens the outer 

 edge of the third joint is obscurely reddish. 



In general appearance much like fuscolineatus (laetus — 

 also from BuUi) and with almost parallel variation of the 

 elytra, but at once distinguished by the long rostrum (in 

 the types of laetus the rostrum of the male is described as 

 " brevi " and of the female "multo minus brevi"). The 

 prothorax is also of different shape. Of the other species 

 having the prothorax 7-areolate and its sides pallid it 

 differs from lateralis by the slightly shorter rostrum and 

 considerably shorter antennae ; from ordinarius by the pale 

 suture, shorter antennae and wider rostrum, tnonticola is 

 said to have a short rostrum and the elytral markings are 

 different. The dark form in appearance is much closer to 

 eremita than to any other species, but the rostrum is much 

 longer than in that species. 



Metriorrhynchus heterodoxus, n. sp. (Figs. 25, 88.) 



^ . Blackish ; sides of elytra reddish. 



Head rather less concave than usual. Rostrum almost absent. 

 Antennae stout, extending to middle of elytra ; 1st joint as long as 

 wide, and almost concealed, 3rd scarcely half the length of 4th, 

 4th slightly shorter and stouter than 5th, 6th-10th gradually 

 decreasing in width; 11th slightly longer than 5th. Prothorax 

 rather strongly transverse, apex bilobed. sides not incurved to 

 middle, hind angles almost rectangular ; 5-areolate, median areolet 

 unusually large, narrowly open in front, its apical half twice as 

 large as its basal, from each side of its middle a curved carina con- 

 necting it with the sides, a shorter and less distinct carina on each 

 side near its base. Scutellihm convex, triangularly notched. Elytra 



