72 ON THE BYRRHIDES OF AUSTRALIA, 



are composed of one rather large basal joint, 2 — 8 gradually de- 

 creasing, and the remaining joints forming a club. All the tarsi 

 are contractile, and received into a groove in the femur : the body 

 is covered with tufts of short truncate setee. 



Sp. 1. M. s])h(erlcus. Hope. 

 Totum corpus supra nigrum, fusco-tomentosum, pedibus piceis. 

 Long. 2 lin., lat. 1| lin. 

 Swan River. 

 The clypeus is rounded and slightly punctured. The thorax 

 is marked with four tubercles placed almost on the middle of the 

 back. The elytra are bristling with tubercles disposed in a triple 

 series — the body beneath is concolorous. 



Sp. 2. M. scoparms. Erichs. 



Niger, opacus, nigrosetosus, elytris fasciculatis. 



Long, prope 2 lin. 



Tasmania. 

 This species is described (Erichs. arch. 1842, L, p. 153) as 

 having the body black, opaque, covered above with very fine ashy 

 setEe. Antennte slender, piceous. Head densely rugulose punc- 

 tate, the fi'ont sprinkled with short truncate black set». The 

 thorax is short, the posterior angles elongate acuminate with 

 numerous truncate setee on the margin. Elytra substriate with 

 numerous truncate setiB, mostly arranged in tufts. Body under- 

 neath and feet covered with short reclined setaa. 



The Australian Museum collection contains specimens of the 

 genus from IST. S. Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western 

 Australia, and Tasmania. I am inclined to refer the Tasmanian 

 specimens to the latter of these descriptions, and the rest to the 

 former ; yet not without some doubt. Hardly any two are alike 

 on the back of the thorax, and therefore I cannot lay any stress 

 upon the four dorsal tubercles mentioned by Hope. And although 

 there is no doubt about the number of tufts or fascicules, composed 

 of the characteristic short truncate setse, I do not recognize in any 

 of these specimens the tubercles disposed in a " triple series." 

 Several of the Australian specimens are piceous beneath the body, 

 but not all ; others arc as black aw the Tasmanian specimens. 



