488 Major T. Broun on neio 



A. olivien', Sharp. — Nilglri Hills. Closely related to tlie 

 preceding-. 



A. communis, Burm. — Nilgiri Hills. 



A. igmcollis, Blanch. — Nilgiri Hills. 



A. gloJ)ulosa, Sharp. — Nilgiri Hills. 



A. [Spilota) regina^ Newm. — Nilgiri Hills. 



LX. — Notes on the Coleopterous Family Pselaphida? of 

 the Group Faronini of A'eio Zealand, vith Descriptions 

 of new Species. By Major T. Broun, F.E.S. 



In the new ' Colcopterorum Catalogus ' published by Herr 

 Junk of Berlin, in February 1911, the following genera 

 are placed almost successively at the head of the Pselaphidoe : 

 Patreus, Broun, Exeirartha, Broun, first and second, 

 Sagula, Sharp, being fifth. This last genus coinpiised, at 

 that time, fortv-seven species ; four of these were described 

 by Dr. Sharp, four by M. Raffray, one by Herr Reitter of 

 Vienna, and the remaining thirty-eight by myself. The 

 description of another species is in possession of the New 

 Zealand Institute for publication, so that the fifteen new 

 species now added make a total of sixty-three. 



The search for these minute but attractive insects has 

 been pretty steadily carried on for upwards of thirry years, 

 but, notwithstanding my efforts, a great proportion of the 

 species are still represented by single specimens only. In 

 a few cases as many as five or six have been obtained 

 amongst decaying leaves in the forests ; most of the rare ones 

 were found singly on the underside of logs. 



Owing to tl'.e kindness of M. Raffray, the author of 

 Wytsman's fine work on the Pselaphidse, I have now been 

 able to inspect eveiy species of Sagola except two, and o£ 

 these last I possess ]\J. RafFray's figures and descriptions. 



In former years, when less than a dozen species had been 

 brought to our knowledge, the descriptive work was a com- 

 paratively easy matter, now it is just the reverse, so that 

 there is no exaggeration in the statement that the careful 

 comparison and detailed description of any single ordinary 

 species fully occupy an entire day. The brief diagnoses of 

 the older species, omitting as they did many essential details 

 of form and sculpture, if repeated in the cases of new species, 



