a9 
part of its head and the front part of its elytra,—the prothoracic 
puncturation being very similar in the two species. 
Central Australia. 
RHIPIDIUS. 
The species described below may be referred, I think, to this 
genus, which has not been hitherto recorded as occurring in Aus- 
tralia, although it appears to be widely distributed, species being 
known from Europe and South Africa. I regret that I have not 
one of those species before me for comparison, but, nevertheless, I 
feel confident in the present identification, as the characters of 
the insect concerned agree quite satisfactorily with those 
attributed to Rhiidius by M. Lacordaire, with the single 
exception that the claws are scarcely to be called “simple” in 
the strict sense (inasmuch as the basal portion is somewhat 
strongly compressed), and would be more accurately described as 
subappendiculate. This, however, is not a discrepancy that would 
justify the creation of a new generic name. I should add, how- 
ever, that as I have only a single specimen I[ have not been able 
to investigate characters that cannot be observed without dissec- 
tion. As the genus is new to Australia it will be well to mention 
its distinctive characters, as follows :—Elytra extremely short 
(scarcely surpassing the base of the abdomen) and very widely 
separated from each other (the interval between them at their 
base being about as wide as the head) ; maxillary palpi wanting ;. 
head small and globular, the greater part of its surface being 
occupied by the strongly granulated eyes (which are almost con- 
tiguous) ; antennz contiguous at their base, their basal 3-joints. 
short, the other 8-joints produced into long rami ; legs stout and 
hairy, the tibize dilated towards the apex which is devoid of 
spines, the tarsi heteromerous and short with small sub-appendicu- 
late claws ; scutellum large and transverse. 
This insect is probably parasitic upon Diptera, as I found it 
crawling over some dead blow-flies. 
fi. Australasie, sp. nov. Mas. Obscure brunneus, pedibus 
dilutioribus, capite nigro ; hoc crebre subaspere punctulato ; 
prothorace nitido, leviter transverso, antrorsum angustato, 
subtilissime punctulato, angulis posticis acutis extrorsum 
directis ; elytris opacis, postice acutis, confertim sat aspere 
punctulatis; antennarum articulo 3° extrorsum fortiter 
dentiformi. Long., 2 1. 
S. Australia ; Eyre’s Peninsula. 
CANTHARIDZ.. 
ZONITIS. 
I have recently made an attempt to determine the species of 
tnis genus in my own collection and that of the S.A. Museum. 
