Aiistralian and Tasmanian Malacodermidae. 231 



prothorax reddish ; parts of three basal joints of antennae and of 

 mandibles obscure testaceous. 



Head densely punctate, at base and sides transverselj'', in front 

 longitudinally strigose ; largely excavated between eyes the excava- 

 tion irregularly bilobed, with posteriorly a bi-sinuate outline, and 

 an acute projecting median tubercle. Antennae extending to apex 

 of elytra, more strongly serrate than usual. Prothorax not much 

 longer than wide, strongly impressed at base. Elytra with shallow, 

 rugose, indistinct punctures. Basal joint of front tarsi strongly 

 rounded and about half their total length. 

 Length to apex of elytra 3, of abdomen 5 mm. 



5 . Differs in being larger ; the head longer, with a shallow (but 

 for the sex rather deep) impression between the eyes, the impression 

 very irregular in front, the antennae shorter and thinner, with the 

 serrations less strongly pronounced ; prothorax slightly transverse 

 elytra larger and the front tarsi simple. 



Hob. Tasmania {Aug. Simson) : Frankford, Huon River, 

 Stonor, Mount Wellington (A. M. Lea), Hobart {H. J. 

 Carter). 



In the male the hind edge of the cephalic excavation is 

 not emarginate in the middle but has a strong projecting 

 lobe, a character at once distinguishing it from most of the 

 species here recorded. In concaviceps the excavation is 

 slightly lobed in the middle but the lobe scarcely interferes 

 with the general sweep of the excavation, and the head 

 when seen from behind appears concave, whilst in the pre- 

 sent species it appears convex ; concaviceps is also a shorter 

 and wider species, with shorter and less serrate antennae and 

 legs not entirely black. The excavation is very irregular, 

 and from some directions its posterior margin appears to 

 be quadrisinuate, this appearance being due to a feeble 

 elevation between the tubercles and each eye ; the frontal 

 tubercle is so concave as to be practically absent, but its 

 sides are marked by acute ridges which slightly converge 

 posteriorly ; between the tips of these ridges is an acutely 

 raised carina. Seen from the sides the head appears to 

 have a conicle tubercle, which is deeply cleft in the middle. 

 From behind, as the point of view is raised, one, three, or 

 five small and obtuse elevations appear. The elytra are 

 rather densely punctate, but the punctures are nowhere 

 sharply defined, and in fact are so rugose that they can 

 scarcely be regarded as true punctures at all. The front 

 tibiae are occasionally obscurely diluted with testaceous. 



