33 
This species is certainly near Cryptophagus, with which it 
agrees in its males being heteromerous, while the females are 
pentamerous. Its comparatively parallel and depressed form, and 
the nearly straight sides of the prothorax, which are quite devoid 
of inequalities, give it a somewhat different facies, but I do not find 
any satisfactory character on which to found a new genus for it. 
Victoria ; Dandenong Ranges (Mr. French) ; also Tasmania. 
ATOMARIA. 
A. eucalypti, sp. nov. Sat late ovalis; sat nitida; sat convexa; 
sparsim pubescens; ferruginea, antennarum clava et elytris 
(basi apiceque exceptis) obscurioribus; capite prothoraceque 
sat crebre subrugulose, elytris sparsim subtiliter, punctulatis; 
prothorace sat quali, fortiter transverso, antice in medio 
late sat fortiter producto, ad basin marginato, antice quam 
postice paullo augustiori, angulis posticis acutis retrorsum 
directis; capite antice subelongato; antennis basi distan- 
tibus. Long., 141; lat., 21. 
Possessing only a female of this species, Iam unable to say 
positively that the male has pentamerous tarsi, placing it in 
Atomaria, but its general characters and superficial appearance 
are so decidedly of that genus that I have no hesitation in placing 
it there provisionally. The head rather strongly produced in 
front of the antennz may perhaps suggest the want of a new 
generic name, but as the description of the Australian Crypto- 
phagide has hardly been touched, it would be a mistake to form 
new genera at present on any but very strong characters. In 
my opinion it is always wiser for the describer of species to 
attribute to an existing genus any species that is not so distinct 
from the typical form as to render it probable that other workers 
would fail to look for it there, leaving generic questions as much 
as possible to those who make them a speciality, and as the 
present insect is so like an Atomaria superficially and structurally 
that no careful worker, having it before him, could fail to regard 
the probability of its having been attributed to that genus, my 
principle leads me to place it there instead of forming a new 
genus on slight characters. 
The darkest part of the infuscation of this insect is on the 
elytra, where it is quite of a pitchy tone, and is fairly distinctly 
limited, taking the form of a very wide fascia, leaving about the 
basal and apical quarters of the elytra of the rufous ground- 
colour. The antenne are very widely separated, and their club is 
unusually strong and abrupt; they are, in fact, suggestive of 
Cryptophagus, but the general appearance and the simple margins 
of the prothorax are out of harmony with that genus. 
N. 8. Wales; Blue Mountains ; under bark of Eucalyptus. 
Cc 
