138 



therefore is that the two species altliough congeneric and greatly- 

 resembling eacli other superficially, are distinct. 



LiEMOPIILCEUS. 



The Australian species of this genus are moderately distinct 

 inter se, most of them having some strongly marked character. 

 Unfortunately, however, some of them have been very in- 

 sufficiently described. Two cosmopolitan species have been 

 reported from Australia (ferrugineus, Steph., and pusilluSy 

 Sclionh.), and also L. iestaceus, Fab. I do not know whether 

 there is any authority for the occurrence of the last-named beyond 

 its mention as Australian by Mr. Olliff ; as will be seen below. 

 I doubt whether the insect that author referred to is really 

 iestaceus. The specific characters of Lcemophloei are strongly 

 marked, in some cases in the sexual characters, in some in the 

 colour and pattern, in some in the structure of the prothorax or 

 elytra. The striation of the elytra is of a peculiar kind and 

 appears different in the same specimen from different points of 

 view, so that different authors state their number differently 

 (e.g. the dorsal striae of L. ferrugineus, Steph., are stated by its 

 author to be three, but Erichson calls them four). If a specimen 

 of that insect be held obliquely with its head directed towards 

 the observer there seem to be numerous ill-defined striae but if it 

 be looked at from the side (across the specimen) there is a 

 certain point of view from which it seems to have very distinctly 

 only three dorsal striae. This introduces an element of uncertainty 

 into descriptions of LcdmopJiloei which merely state that the 

 elytra have such-and-such a number of dorsal striae, and there- 

 fore in the following descriptions I endeavour to indicate the 

 nature of the striation more exactly. The only Australian 

 Lcemophlcei that I have seen not having the dorsal striae of their 

 elytra of the same character as \n ferrugineus are amah His, OIL, 

 and the species described below as L. Frenchi, in which the 

 intermediate feeble striae that in the other species are visible from 

 favorable points of view are all but non-existent. Among the 

 Australian Lcemophlcei, however, the striation of the elytra does 

 not seem to me in general a very useful character for the deter- 

 mination of species. In tabulating the species of this genus ther 

 structure of the prothorax seems to form the best character for 

 constructing groups. 



The following tabulation of the characters of the described 

 Australian Lcemophlcei includes all that 1 can ascertain to have 

 been described. Some of the species are unknown to me in 

 nature and these I have placed on the authority of descriptions 

 and figures. In some instances I have had to assume the absence 

 of a character from its not being mentioned in the description — 



