120 



Habitat. — Vicinity of Adelaide, Murray Scrub, Sedan, Kan- 

 garoo Island ; South Australia. Northern Territory of South 

 Australia. S.A. Museum. Eastern Australia (Brunner). 



The adults are remarkably uniform in coloration, but the 

 larvse are very different. They are more or less conspicuously 

 marked by paler and darker longitudinal interrupted strijDes, 

 varying according to age or size, and gradually disappear when 

 attaining the adult stage. Walker's description of his Laxta 

 oniscoides agrees perfectly with that of a half-grown larva. The 

 insects are numerous in woodlands, hiding under bark, logs, &c., 

 and fly about at night, but do not live in houses. The larvae 

 appear chiefly in January and February, the adults from May to 

 October, but the latter may be found occasionally all the year 

 round. 



Oniscosoma pallida, Brunner (Syst., 301). 



" Testaceous. Pronobum of male brown in the disk, minute 

 brown granules scattered over the major part of the wings. 

 Elytra ample, acuminute, translucent. Female wholly testaceous 

 above, granules black, very much raised, scattered. Abdominal 

 segments ajDpendiculate. Supra-anal lamina emarginate in the 

 middle. 



Length of body... 

 Length of elytra 

 Length of pronotum 

 Width of pronotum 



Habitat. — New South Wales." 



The species differs in the pale colour of both sexes, the ulnar 

 vein emitting bifurcate branches, &c. 



Perisphaerid^, Brunner (Syst., 302). 



" Head covered. Pronotum of male tranversely lenticular ; 

 of female orbicular. Elytra of male perfect ; of female absent, 

 rudimentary, or perfect, corneous. Wings, when present, fan- 

 like. Femora spineless ; tarsi with arolia. Dorsal abdominal 

 segments truncate behind, angles not produced, not exceeding 

 ventral segments. Supra-a,nal lamina subquadrate, angles 

 rounded; of female corneous, rounded, entire, not plicate. Cerci 

 of male depressed, longer than lamina ; of female short, triangu- 

 lar. Subgenital lamina of male large, with or without styles. 



The principal distinctions from the preceding family are that 

 the supra-anal lamina of the female is rounded, and the hind- 

 angles of the abdominal segments are not produced. It is best 

 represented in South Africa, but some species occur also in India, 

 and others in South America. 



