24 
to the probability of the beetle being parasitic on the scale beyond 
saying that I have never myself observed any such habit in the 
Phalacride. M. Lacordaire (Gen Col.) ‘stated that he knew 
nothing of the life history of the family, and J do not find any 
reference to the subject in any of those I have seen of the (com- 
paratively recent) works of M. Guillebeau on these beetles. I 
therefore leave the matter to those who devote their attention to 
the life history of the Coleoptera. 
The species in question is an undescribed one and belongs to 
{or at any rate is near) M. Guillebeau’s genus Parasemus, which 
I cannot ascertain to have been diagnosed except so far as its 
characters are indicated in a tabulation of certain genera of 
Phalaeride (Anu. Soc. Ent. Fr., 1894, pp. 280 and 281): and 
‘unfortunately the value of the tabulation is diminished by its 
containing a line “ 2a” without any corresponding “2b.” Ina 
former paper on the Phalacride (Tr. R.S., 8.A., 1895, pp. 205, 
&c.) I mentioned the difficulty of identifying Parasemus, but 
referred to that genus provisionally certain Australian Phalacride 
whose structure shows them to be at least nearly allied to it. 
The insect described below is certainly congeneric with (at least 
some of) them and therefore I place it provisionally in Parasemus. 
PARASEMUS 4 
P. Mitchelli, sp. nov. Sat late ovalis ; nitidus; nigro-piceus 
(exemplis nonuullis pallidioribus), presertim versus latera, 
antennis pedibus et corpore subtus plus minusve brunneo- 
testaceis ; corpore supra fere levi; antennarum clava 
3-articulata ; scutello sat parvo ; elytrorum stria subsuturali 
postice sat fortiter impressa ; femoribus posticis sat fortiter, 
tibiis minus fortiter (ambobus quam P. victoriensis, Blackb. 
multo minus fortiter) compressis; tarsis posticis quam 
anteriores 4 modice longioribus, articulo basali quam 
2"s breviori ; coxis intermediis inter se sat reimotis ; meso- 
sterno vix perspicuo; clypeo prope oculos manifeste emargin- 
ato, antice rotundato; prosterno pone coxas anticas haud 
producto. Long. 21.; lat. 21. 
The very small size of this insect together with the absence of 
discal rows of elytral punctures renders it easy to recognise. It is 
near P. obsoletus, Blackb., structurally. The second joint of thehind 
tarsi is longer than the first, but not so much as twice its length. 
All the tarsi are comparatively short and stout, those of the hind 
legs being decidedly but not very much longer than the rest. In 
my tabulation of the species I attribute provisionally to 
Parasemus (Tr. R.S., S.A., 1895, p. 214), P. (2) Mrtchelli will 
follow discoideus, Blackb., thus— 
EEE. Elytra without discal rows of punctures. Witchelli, Blackb. 
Queensland. 
