42 



trails parte antica dimidia ad latera pilis elongatis pallidi& 



dense vestita. 

 Feminae antennis manifeste brevioribus, segmento 2° ventrali 



normali. Long., 8—10^ L; lat., 2|— 4^ 1. 

 In a perfectly fresh specimen the upper surface is covered with 

 a very fine grey pubescence scarcel}'' noticeable by the naked eye. 

 On this, markings are formed by longer and denser pubescence of 

 intermingled whitish and ochreous colour, presenting on the head 

 variable spots and lines, on the pronotum numerous small specks, 

 on the elytra a kind of network of spots and blotches which 

 arrange themselves most conspicuously behind the scutellum, on 

 the lateral margin behind the shoulder, in a flexuous fascia 

 behind the middle, and in an aggregate filling up the apex. The 

 markings however are little to be relied upon as they are variable 

 and very easily rubbed oS and an even slightly rubbed example 

 does not look as if its markings had ever been as described above. 

 The species, however, is easily recognisable by structural charac- 

 ters, — especially its head almost punctureless but having a few 

 very deep punctures close to the inner margin of the upper lobe 

 of the eye, — its elytra each with two very wide shallow longi- 

 tudinal impressions not nearly reaching either the base or apex 

 (best seen in abraded specimens), —its elytra studded on the 

 whole front three quarters of their area with strong and somewhat 

 coarse shiny granules and short ridges (not unlike those on the 

 front part of the elytra of Fenthea sannio, Newm.) which are not 

 at all concealed by the pubescence, — and the male characters on 

 the second ventral segment. These consist of a space on each 

 side extending along the front margin of the segment from the 

 lateral margin nearly to the middle and limited hindward by a 

 curved line joining the extremities of the front of the space and 

 reaching hindward to about the middle of the segment, — the part 

 of the segment not occupied by this space being pubescent and 

 marked uniformly with the other segments, but the space itself 

 being densely clothed with long soft pale hairs. 



This insect is very likely to be the Rhytiphora referred to by 

 Mr. Gahan (Tr. E.8., Lond., 1893) as possibly identical with 

 caprina, Newm., or mista, Newm., neither of which is intelligibly 

 described, — or (judged by Mr. Gahan's remarks) recognisable by 

 comparison with the types. The former seems to be much 

 smaller than the smallest specimen I have seen of the present 

 insect and is described as having "dentiform tubercles near the 

 base of the elytra" (very diff'erent from the sculpture of the 

 present species), and the latter I take to be an allied but very 

 distinct species widely distributed in Southern Australia of which 

 I have seen many examples. 



Tasmania; given to me by Mr. Simson. It is found on 

 Casuarina. 



