Australian and Tasmanian Malacodcrinidae. 169 



often appears as if it had a long median lobe, and towards 

 each side a smaller lobe ; the supposed median lobe, 

 however, is the sheath of the penis, which appears in 

 several species to be jDermanently exposed, in other species 

 the sheath is just as distinct, but is really internal, its 

 exposed appearance being caused by its horny nature not 

 allowing it to shrink, as does the rest of the abdomen, in 

 consequence the outer skin is drawn very tightly over it, 

 and it then appears as an elongated shining ridge. In the 

 female the abdomen is usually obtusely notched at the tip. 



If the specimens (and especially females) are set out 

 when soft, the elytra often appear too short to cover the 

 abdomen, but the species are not truly brachelytrous. 



I have not considered it necessary to describe the cloth- 

 ing of each species. It consists of long and straggling 

 hairs, more noticeable on the sides and legs than elsewhere; 

 the elytra in addition have short whitish pubescence, which, 

 however, is indistinct from some directions. Nor have I 

 considered it necessary to describe the prothorax * other 

 than as to its colour; in all the species it is strongly trans- 

 verse, the disc widely and continuously convex, the base 

 and sides (except in front, where the convexity is not at 

 all interrupted) feebly margined, and the surface impunc- 

 tate, or at most with a few very indistinct punctures. 



Besides the species here recorded, there are five others 

 before me (three of them being very distinct), but they 

 are unfortunately all represented by females only, so I have 

 considered it best to leave them undescribed. 



I am not acquainted with picnchdatus, but it is evidently 

 a dingy species allied to australis and elegans. As no 

 characters which can be recognised as sexual were given 

 in the description, it is impossible to determine the sex of 

 the types, and consequently it would be dangerous to 

 identify it on any other than South Australian specimens. 

 I am confident, however, that I have not seen it. 



The others may be tabulated as follows : — 



A. Front femora of male strongly curved, 

 the trochanters large and projecting. 

 a. Elytra partly pale. 



b. Prothorax with distinct markings . pulcherrhnus, Lea. 



?*■ * This does not apply to sordidus and montamis which were 

 described after the preparation of these notes. 



