394 SHarp—On New Zealand Coleoptera. 
to the rather prominent eyes, and these are well separated from the front of 
the thorax. This latter is by no means closely articulated with the after 
body. The ventral sutures are deep, and the first segment measured along 
the middle is longer than the second, but the length behind the coxe is rather 
less than that of the second. 
Saphophagus minutus, n. sp.—Oblongus, depressus, angustulus, brunneo- 
castaneus, nitidulus, fortiter punctatus; prothorace cordato, dorso obsolete bi- 
impresso. Long. 1$ m.m. (Plate x11, fig. 25.) 
Antennz with the exposed portion of the basal joint short, second joint 
short, stouter than the following: joints 3-8 small, subequal, 9, 10, and 11 
forming a very loose club, the 10th scarcely transverse. Head small, rather 
rounded in front, surface nearly even, rather closely punctate. Thorax about 
as long as broad, truncate in front, with the front angles depressed and rounded, 
much narrowed behind, not margined at the sides, constricted in front of the 
base, hind angles rectangular and with a fovea quite at the angle, the surface 
very shining, rather coarsely punctate, the two impressions on the middle nearly 
confluent, and varying somewhat in their outline according to the point of 
sight (as in some Pycnomeri). Scutellum very minute. Elytra with series 
of coarse punctures, and with a short series interposed at the base between 
the sutural and the next series, so that there is a sight convergence of the 
second and third series towards the suture behind the supplementary series ; 
they are rather elongate and completely cover the hind body. The legs are 
short. 
Picton, Helms, two examples. 
PicroTus (noy. gen.) 
Corpus minutum, glabrum, nitidum, capite angusto, exserto, nullo modo 
deflexo; antenne undecimarticulate, clava abrupta biarticulata; prothorax grandis, 
ad elytra arctissime applicatus, margine laterali latissimo, angulis posterioribus 
productis, supra humeros receptis. Coxze anteriores et intermediz minute, 
clobose, late distantes; acetabula anteriora aperta; prosternum processu magno 
posterius producto; cox posteriores sat magne, transverse, distantes; abdo- 
men e segmentis quinque ventralibus compositum quorum primo ultimoque ceteris 
longioribus. T'arsi omnes quinque articulati, articulis quatuor basalibus parvis, 
subequalibus, simplicibus, ultimo elongato. 
This genus is established for a minute and very anomalous beetle; the 
characters permit its location at present among the Cucujidee, though it has an 
appearance entirely foreign to that family, suggesting an affinity with Thoric- 
tide, to which, however, it has apparently but little affinity. The front, the 
