36 



Notes on Austr/vlian Coleoptera, with 

 Descriptions of New^ Species. 



By the Eev. T. Blackbtjex, B.A. 



[Eead July 5, 1887.] 



In the following pages I have the pleasure of offering to the 

 Eoyal Society a further contribution towards a knowledge of 

 the Coleoytera of South Australia. Probably this colony con- 

 tains a Coleopterous fauna second in extent to none on the 

 Australian continent ; and I doubt not that if the opening up 

 of the country in the Far Xorth be accompanied by any syste- 

 matic attempt to explore the natural history of the districts 

 rendered accessible, the discoveries of new and very interesting 

 species will be so numerous that students will scarcely be able 

 to keep pace with them. Unfortunately, those who are engaged 

 in the work of extending our railways and of settling the 

 newly opened country seldom have any inclination to trouble 

 themselves with the collection of specimens for scientific study, 

 so that it will probably be the case that the knowledge of the 

 fauna will have to depend almost entirely on such occasional 

 visits as may be made for the express purpose of collecting 

 specimens by those who are themselves engaged in natural his- 

 tory studies. 



SCAKITID^. 

 PHILOSCAPHUS. 



P. Tepperi, sp. nov. Niger ; subtus obscure violaceus ; capite 

 magno, fortiter bisulcato, utrinque juxta oculos punctis 

 2 setiferis notato ; prothorace sublunulato, postice lobato, 

 canaliculate, vix evidenter rugato, auguste marginato, mar- 

 gine anteriori rugis longitudinalibus subtiliter notato, 

 elytris prothorace vix latioribus, obscure striatis, intersti- 

 tiis alternis elevatioribus obsolete tuberculatis, margine 

 anteriori medio leviter emarginato utrinque oblique trun- 

 cate, humeris subdentiformibus, regione laterali abrupte 

 declivi ; hac supra antice costa elevata ab humero ad longi- 

 tudinis medium, postice costa inferior! ab medio fere ad 

 apicem, marginata ; tibiis anticis externe tridentatis. 

 Long., 33 mm. 

 This species appears to differ from all of the genus hitherto 



described in the sculpture of the grooved lateral sub-vertical 



