NITIDULIDAE. 523 



rate, apex truncate, base feebly rounded, without discernible lateral margins. 

 Scutellum strongly transverse. Elytra elongate-oblong, rather broader than 

 thorax at the base, curvedly narrowed behind. 



Mentum very short, with a slightly prominent acute denticle in the 

 middle, oblique towards the sides, with distinct but hardly dentiform angles 

 there. Anterior coxae nearly as far apart as the intermediate, the inter- 

 vening process with slightly raised lateral margins, it is nearly straight 

 behind and in contact with the broader, subquadrate mesosternal process. 

 Metasternum elongate, grooved along the middle. Abdomen with five 

 segments, the basal largest and acutely angulate between the coxae, 2-4 

 subequal, fifth slightly longer than fourth, with a rotundate fovea. 



This genus cannot be located in the vicinity of the cosmopolitan 

 Brachypeplus or Carpophilus, in both of which the elytra are considerably 

 abbreviated. XenosceJis, instituted by Wollaston for a single species foimd 

 on the Canary Islands, is also represented by one in New Zealand, but 

 though both have the pygidium covered they differ otherwise from the 

 following one. In Neocercus the eyes, underneath, have semicircular elevated 

 borders, these behind do not project beyond the eyes, but in front thev 

 terminate as acutely dentiform projections which are quite visible when 

 the insect is examined from above. This character of itself distinguishes 

 Neocercus from every other genus of the Nitidulidae known to me. 



4044. Neocercus electus sp. nov. 



Nitid, thinly and irregularly clothed with elongate, decumbent yellow 

 hairs ; head, thorax, and base of elytra dark rufous, legs and antennae 

 paler ; of a lighter red across the elytra before the middle, about half the 

 length in the female, less in the male, the space behind dark fuscous. 



Head distantly punctate on the middle, distinctly bi-impressed. Thorax 

 rather broader than long, its sides slightly rounded, without definite angles ; 

 distinctly and moderately closely punctured at the sides, very irregularly 

 on the middle, quite remotely there on some parts ; with a i-ather broad 

 and deep longitudinal impression which, near the base, is divided by a 

 smooth space so that that part seems to be bifoveate. Elytra thrice the 

 length of thorax, with obtuse shoulders, finely marginate, their punctation 

 evenly distributed, as distinct as that of the thorax ; in both sexes, on 

 each elytron, there is an oblique transverse impression behind the posterior 

 femur ; in the female an additional but broader one near the suture at the 

 middle. 



Underside fusco-rufous, irregularly and distinctly punctured, thinly 

 covered with yellow hairs. 



Length, S^ mm. ; breadth, IJ mm. 



Mount Algidus, 14th October, 1913, one male ; Mount Owen, 26th 

 December, 1914, one female ; both found by Mr. T. Hall. 



Inopria gen. nov. 



Body robust, suboblong-oval, moderately convex. 



Head gradually narrowed anteriorly ; forehead depressed and slightly 

 notched in front. Labrum invisible. Eyes moderately prominent, sub- 

 rotundate. Mandibles very thick at the base, strongh^ arched, acute and 

 simple at the extremity. Mentum transverse, very slightly rounded in 

 front, without central or lateral angulations. Maxillary palpi only mode- 

 rately elongate, basal joint small, the penultimate rather shorter than second 



