216 
cannot be really a Heleid. On the whole, I see no reason to 
separate it from Hopatrum. When alive it is covered, as usual 
in Hopatrum, with a coating of earthy matter. At once dis- 
tinguished by its non-striate elytra from all its described Aus- 
tralian congeners. 
Coward Springs, near Lake Eyre. 
Since writing this description I have examined three specimens 
of Hopatrum taken by Mr. Zietz at Lake Callabonna, which 
appear to me to be referable to this species, although at the first 
glance they might be considered to represent three species all — 
distinct from H. cowardense. The sculpture of the upper surface 
seems variable to the utmost extent, but without any other 
marked differences. The sight of these has led me to remove the 
earthy incrustation from all the specimens that I took at Coward 
Springs, and which were all under one stone almost in the water 
of the spring. I had previously cleaned a couple of them, and 
had assumed the others to be similar. I find, however, that 
among the original batch there is no little variation. The type 
from which the diagnosis was drawn up has the prothorax very 
obsoletely granulate and the elytra almost levigate; but two 
specimens taken in company with it have the prothorax more 
evidently granulate and the elytra closely and very finely punc- 
tulate, and the elytra of one of these latter are traversed by very 
fine scratch-like longitudinal lines (not true striz) and are slightly 
granulate. The three examples from Lake Callabonna are a little 
longer and narrower in form, and, therefore, might possibly repre- 
sent a distinct species ; but one of them is less so than the other 
two. The sculpture of one of the Lake Callabonna specimens (one 
of the more elongate two) is quite identical with that of the last 
described example from Coward Springs. The second example 
from Lake Callabonna has the elytra more decidedly granulate, 
with several rows of rather large very faintly impressed punctures 
(scarcely discernible traces of which exist in the original type), 
the intervals between which are not quite flat ; while the third 
Lake Callabonna specimen has the prothorax still more decidedly, 
almost strongly, granulate, while its elytra bear almost regular 
rows of well-defined punctures, the third fifth and seventh inter- 
vals between these rows being roundly and quite strongly 
elevated. The original type and the last mentioned Lake Calla- 
bonna specimen could certainly not be treated as specifically 
identical without the knowledge of the intermediate forms. 
H. darlingense, sp. nov. Ovale; subnitidum; nigrum, setulis 
pallidis minutis minus crebre vestitum, antennis pedibusque 
plus minusve picescentibus ; capite minus lato fortiter minus 
crebre punctulato, clypeo cum capite confuso antice pro- 
funde emarginato, ad latera minus fortiter (oculos parum 
