Australian and Tasmanian Malacodermidae. 237 



The feebly sculptured head of the male is much as in 

 many females of the genus, and in fact but little different 

 from its own female, but the basal joint of the front tarsi is 

 unmistakably masculine. Of the other species having the 

 head almost simple and the prothorax Y>s^le foveicornis has 

 the basal joint of antennae strongly inflated, and simplici- 

 ceps has the basal joint of front tarsi much smaller and the 

 head legs and elytra differently coloured. The elytral punc- 

 tures are somewhat rugose but sufficiently distinct, they are, 

 however, very much smaller than in punctipcnnis, but, with 

 that exception, are more distinct than in any other species 

 here recorded. In the female the front femora have some- 

 times half their base dark, whilst the middle femora are 

 almost entirely dark, but in the males the four front 

 femora are usually entirely pale, although they are occa- 

 sionally tipped at the base with black. In both cases the 

 amount of flavous at the base of the hind tibiae is variable 

 in extent. In the female the lower surface of the head is 

 occasionally blackish. 



Helcogaster spinicollis, n. sp. {Fig. 97.) 



^. Black; prothorax, shoulders, two basal joints of antennae, 

 front knees and middle femora red or flavous. 



Head large, transverse, deeply excavated. Antennae compara- 

 tively short and stout, many of tlie joints transverse. Prothorax 

 transverse, sides rounded, base truncate, apex rather largely bilobed, 

 with short acute projection from between the lobes. Elytra almost 

 impunctate. Basal joint of front tarsi about half their total length 

 and with black inner rim. 



Length to apex of elytra 1|, of abdomen 2|^ mm. 



Rab. N. S. Wales : BuUi (A. M. Lea). 



In the type the shoulders are much paler than the 

 prothorax, but I attach no importance to this. The head 

 is deeply excavated on its basal half, the excavation being 

 feebly bilobed^'posteriorly and irregular in front ; across the 

 middle of the excavation is an isolated carina. Seen from 

 the front the middle of the front of the head appears to 

 consist of a slightly concave, heart-shaped and rather 

 coarsely punctured space ; but the whole sculpture of the 

 head is somewhat obscured by its clothing. It is at once 

 distinguished from all the other known species by the 

 apex of its prothorax. 



