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closely soldered, and only split apart as mere points at the apex, 
then to a form in which the hind tarsi or the four posterior tarsi 
have only one claw while the claws of the front tarsi are dis- 
tinctly double at their extreme point, and ending with forms in 
which no duality can be discerned in any of the claws. 
Still, as genera have already been formed on the number of 
claws as their principal character, it will for the present be con- 
venient to regard this as a generic character, and as only a single 
Eremnid genus is recorded to have a single claw, I think it will 
be well to refer to that genus (Pephricus) all the Australian 
Eremnini having only a single claw unless they differ from the 
diagnosis of Pephricus in some character really of first-class 
importance. I take then the following to be the distinctive 
characters of Pephricus as a genus :—Rostrum separated from the 
head on the underside by a deep transverse sulcus ; antennz 
shortish and more or less stout, with a funicle of 7 joints ; 
scutellum not, or scarcely, apparent; femora unarmed ; a single 
claw only to the tarsi; metasternum very short; basal two 
ventral segments sub-equal, enter se, the next two much shorter ; 
hind corbels open. Thus characterised the genus Pephricus may 
receive the following two species :— 
PEPHRICUS. 
P. umbratus, sp. nov. Obscurus, squamis albidis fuscis et 
nonnullis nigricantibus indeterminate crebre vestitus: vix 
manifeste setosus: rostro antrorsum angustato supra sat 
plano: scrobibus supernis ; oculis ovalibus infra paullo 
acuminatis ; prothorace quam longiore tertia parte (postice 
quam antice parum manifeste) latiori, lateribus modice 
arcuatis ; scutello vix distincto; elytris quam prothorax 
tertia parte latioribus, plus quam duplo longioribus basi 
emarginatis, leviter striatis, striis, sat fortiter punctulatis, 
lateribus sat rotundatis, latitudine majori paullo pone basin 
posita. Long., 2—24 1; lat., 1—li 1. 
This species differs from the two previously described by not 
being clothed with long sete. The antennz are short and stout; 
set back they would about reach the base of the prothorax ; the 
scape reaches the back of the eye; joints 1 and 2 longer than 
wide, 1 longer than 2, 3—7 transverse, the club short and stout 
obovate ; the head rostrum and front of prothorax viewed from 
the side are exactly represented in the figure of P. echymvs, Pase. 
(Tr. Ent. Soc., tab, v., fig. 72.) Viewed from above the rostrum 
is gradually narrowed forward, its lateral margins forming the 
upper margins of the scrobes, the whole of which are visible when 
the rostrum is looked down upon from above. The actual base of 
the elytra is the same width as the base of the prothorax, but 
