99 



^Further Notes on Australian Coleoptera, 

 ^A^iTH Descriptions of New Genera and 

 Species. 



By the Rev. T. Blackburn, B.A. 



XXIX. 



[Read October 1, 1901.] 

 CARABID.^. 



GIGADEMA. 



It is extremely difficult to identify the species of this genus 

 that have been described in the section that have the disc of the 

 pronotum smooth or at any rate non-punctulate. The difficulty 

 arises chiefly from the insufficiency of the descriptions, — more 

 , particularly their reliance upon prothoracic characters (which 

 vary sexually as well as specifically) in most cases without note 

 of ihe sex of the specimen referred to. Signor Gestro furnished 

 some valuable notes and numerous figures relating to the species 

 of De Castelnau's collection but I am afraid his figures are not 

 reliable (Ann. Mus. Gen., 1875). His figure of the prothorax 

 of G. longipenne, Germ, (sex not specified, but it is evidently the 

 female), makes that segment scarcely wider than long (as seven 

 to six), but the width of the prothorax in longipenne (female) is 

 as seven to four and a quarter. I am quite confident as to my 

 identification of this species as I have examples from Germar's 

 locality, and I have no doubt either but that Gestro's notes refer 

 to the true longipeniie, — the fault is in the drawing of the figure. 

 Ten species appertaining to this section of Gigadema have been 

 described (disregarding noctis, Newm., which seems to be a mere 

 name). Of these ten I myself described three and longipenne, 

 Germ., is well known to me. Bostocki, Cast, (from W.A.), I have 

 identified with tolerable certainty by the aid of Dr. Gestro's 

 notes. The remaining five are from Eastern Australia (Queens- 

 land and N.S. Wales). I have before me two species from that 

 region which, however, I am not able to identify with certainty, 

 and also a species from Victoria which is not unlikely to be one 

 of those described from N.S. Wales. G. atrum, Mad., is not 

 before me ; it is a very isolated species by the form of its palpi as 

 well as by its sculpture and seems from the description unlikely 

 to be a true Gigadema. One of my three species mentioned above 

 (from N. Queensland) is almost certainly grande, Macl. (female, 



