21 



fringes of hair) ; the under surface rather thickly pilose, and' 

 the elytra very short. The first description aj^pertaining to 

 them was published by G-ermar in 1818, in the " Beitrags zur 

 Insektenfauna von Adelaide," under the name iridipennis. This 

 brief description (founded on a single female specimen) would 

 apply to almost any member o£ the group, but the Hon. W. 

 Macleay, of Sydney, in a paper recently published by the Linn. 

 Soc. of New South "Wales, furnishes details omitted by Germar. 

 Since 1848 three more species of the group have been described, 

 so that the three described in this paper bring up the number 

 to seven. The following table will enable the student to dis- 

 tinguish them inter se : — 



A. Basal joint of posterior tarsi twice the length of the 

 second joint. 

 a. Clypeus of male tridentate in front. Size, about 

 9 mm. ... ... ... iridipennis, Germ. 



aa. Clypeus not tridentate. Size, about 6 mm. 



convexior, Macl. 



AA. Basal joint of posterior tarsi about half again as long as 



second joint. 



a. Forehead longitudinally sulcate. Elytra quite con- 



colorous, with prothorax .... caviceps, Blackb. 



aa. Forehead not sulcate.* Elytra of a pitchy sub- 

 iridescent colour ... ... rotundipennis, MacL 



AAA. First and second joints of posterior tarsi not much dif- 

 ferent in length. 

 a. Pygidium and propygidium densely clothed with 

 white scales ... ... ... tristis, Blanch. 



aa. Pygidium and propygidium glabrous, or nearly so. 



h. Propygidium with two short longitudinal furrows,t 



the space between which is elevated, as though 



pinched up. Hairs fringing the thorax black; 



tarsi very slender ... ... _^r«<?z7i^ds, Blackb. 



M. Propygidium normal ; thorax fringed with whitish 

 hairs ; tarsi very robust ... ... seiiex, Blackb. 



It should perhaps be noted that some specimens of L. pici- 

 pennis, G-erm., are coloured somewhat similarly to the insects 

 mentioned in the preceding table, but they may be readily dis- 

 tinguished by their elytra extending nearly or quite to the 

 apex of the propygidium. 



L. diversus, sp. nov. Ovatus ; niger; parum, nitidus, antennis 

 (clava excepta) palpis pedibusque rufis ; elytris lividis, 



* This colour leads me to doubt whether L. rotundipennis (which I have 

 not seen) should really be included in this group. 



t These furrows are sometimes faintly defined, sometimes very deep, but 

 appear to be always discernible. 



