of the two penultimate segments produced and forming stout, 

 recurving spines. Legs very stout, spines long. Fore coxse 

 subcylindrical, deeply incised at the apex. Fore femora scarcely 

 as long as the cox^e, incrassated, with three long curved spines 

 near the middle. Fore tibiae very short, flat, with eight radiating 

 long spines in single series around the margin, besides one or two 

 smaller and movable in the disk. Tarsi very slender, five- 

 jointed, first joint about twice as long as any of the following 

 three ; last longer than the first. Pulvilli very minute or absent. 

 Supra-anal lamina transverse, broad, subquadrilateral, slightly 

 rounded behind in both sexes, narrower in the male. Penultimate 

 segment of male w4th the hindmargin roundly and broadly 

 emarginate, for the reception of the subgenital lamina. Ventral 

 segments smooth, shining, lateral margins punctured. Styles 

 none. 



Geoscapheus robustus, spec. nov. 



Deep reddish -brown, margins of thoracic segments paler. 

 Mouth parts and palpi black, whitish about the joints. Antennae 

 blackish. Legs mostly, also the apical part of the spines, very 

 dark, remainder brownish-red. Larvae smaller, almost wholly 

 black ; dorsal segments of abdomen narrowly dark-brown at the 

 base. 



Length of body 

 Length of pronotum . . . 

 Width of pronotum... 

 Width of abdomen ... 



Habitat. — Silverton, 

 Australia (S.A. Museum). 



These singular insects were first brought under my notice by 

 Mr. F. A. Fiveash, who captured a pair at Silverton (in the 

 vicinity of the Broken Hill Mines), and presented them to the 

 S.A. Museum in NovemVjer, 1886, remarking in his note tliat they 

 lived in the ground. This was proved by pellicles of red clay 

 still adhering to the legs and body. On November 14, 1891, a 

 small adult female and three male larvae were sent by Mr. R. 

 H. Q. Simmons from Pvenmark, the South Australian irrigation 

 colony on the River Murray, near the New South Wales boundary. 

 Nothing is known of their habits, food, ka. 



v. PERIPLANETID.E. 



Abdomen of female with the last ventral segment cleft, form- 

 ing free valvules. Femora spined. 



The family is very numerous in species, and is distributed over 

 the larger part of the surface of the earth, being represented in 



