271 



C^DIUS. 



C Lindi, sp. nov. Breviter ovatus ; ater, aatennarum apice 

 tarsisque rufis ; capite prothoraceque granulatis ; elytris 

 obscure rugosis, sparsim subtiliter confuse granulatis, 

 punctulato-striatis, interstitiis latis planis. Long. 2^ — 

 2fl. 



This species appears to be closely allied to G. splimroides, 

 which was described a.d. 184^2 by the Eev. F. "W". Hope, on 

 specimens from Adelaide. Unfortunately, Mr. Hope's descrip- 

 tion is very brief, consisting of 23 words. In 1859 M. Lacordaire 

 incidentally supplied a somewhat fuller, though not a formal 

 and detailed description. I think I have identified the insect, 

 although if so Mr. Hope's characters are not perfectly exact 

 even as far as they go, and on that account I abstain from fur- 

 nishing a detailed description of what I take to be C. sphcsroides. 

 I may just observe, however, that it differs from the descrip- 

 tion in being of a pitchy colour rather than " black," in having 

 the elytra minutely covered with fine dust-like brownish scales 

 (which might have been rubbed off in the type), and in having 

 the thorax not punctulate but granulate when carefully 

 examined — a character, however, which is not very noticeable, 

 except under a very strong lens. It is the only Ccsdius that 

 has come under my notice as occurring near Adelaide. I think 

 there is a doubt as to the identity of the specimen or specimens 

 M. Lacordaire examined with the type, as the learned French 

 author says it is as large as an average- sized Opatrum., whereas 

 Mr. Hope gives 2.\ 1. as the size, which would be much smaller. 



The species I have described above is certainly distinct. Its 

 colour is deep black, excepting the tarsi, the mouth organs, and 

 the antennae, which are reddish, especially the apical joint of 

 the last named. The thorax is considerably more than twice 

 as wide as long ; it is strongly emarginate in front and nar- 

 rowly but distinctly lobed in the middle behind ; its lateral 

 margin is broadly thickened, and it is arcuately widened from 

 the front nearly to the base, and thence briefly narrowed. The 

 elytra are feebly striated, the striae set with rather large but 

 feeble punctures, the interstices flat. Under a powerful lens 

 the interstices are seen to be set with small, and very small, 

 tubercles or granules confusedly mixed together. The anterior 

 tibiae are triangularly dilated, at the apex externally ; there is 

 a well-defined tooth on the external margin just above the 

 middle, above which the margin is obscurely serrate, and in 

 some specimens (occasionally on one tibia only) an additional 

 tooth just above the apical dilatation. The intermediate and 

 posterior tibiae are denticulate, and spined on the external 

 margin. 



