DASCTLLIDAE, 535 



elytra nitid, testaceous, broadly infuscate along the middle ; antennae 

 and legs rufo-testaceous ; mandibles rufous, with piceous tips. 



Head large, excluding the mandibles, slightly longer than thorax, nearly 

 as broad, closely and moderately distinctly granulate, each granule with a 

 central puncture. Eyes nearly flat, rather small, situated close to the 

 antennae. Thorax twice as broad as long, only slightly sinuate inside the 

 subacute, slightly depressed anterior angles ; the base more deeply bisinuate, 

 so that its angles seem to project backwards ; its sides finely marginate, 

 rather more narrowed behind the middle than in front ; closely punctate- 

 granulose. Scutellum triangular, less distinctly sculptured. Elytra oblong, 

 evidently broader than thorax, four times its length, coarsely and irregularly 

 punctured ; the base is finely margined and subtruncate, but the shoulders 

 are abruptly though obtusely prominent just outside the thoracic angles. 



Antennae longer than head and thorax, finely pubescent ; basal joint 

 short and stout, second but little longer than broad, third shorter than 

 fourth, joints 5-10 about twice as long as broad, shorter than fourth, 

 eleventh more elongate. 



The pale membranous space below the forehead is strongly transverse, 

 the labrum is moderately short and deeply emarginate in the middle, the 

 mandibles are almost wholly exposed and apparently tridentate near the 

 base, and my specimen is quite apterous. 



The only other species from Wellington in my collection, A. basalis 

 (3244), has decumbent vestiture, the coloration is manifestly different, 

 the elytral base still more so. A. hirta (564) is considerably smaller. 

 A. suffusn (3071) has larger eyes, shorter pubescence, and simple shoulders. 

 A. grahami (3070) is easily separable by its unusually prominent labrum. 

 These are the nearest allies, and all, I believe, have wings. 



Length, 5| mm. ; breadth, 2| mm. 



Pakuratahi, near Wellington. One, found by Mr. H. W. Simmonds 

 (2nd January, 1915) amongst decaying leaves on the ground. 



4062. Atopida pallidula sp. nov. 



Oblong, slightly convex, nitid ; elytra testaceous, their suture some- 

 what rufescent ; head, thorax, scutellum, and basal four joints of antennae 

 pale chestnut-red, remaining joints light brown, mandibles rufous ; pubes- 

 cence rather short, subdepressed, yello\^ish. 



Head, mandibles exclusive, about as long as thorax but not as broad, 

 finely and closely granulosc-punctate. Labrum short, deeply and widely 

 emarginate. Thorax nearly twice as broad as long, slightly emarginate 

 behind the eyes, anterior angles a little depressed, not acutely prominent ; 

 base subtruncate or only feebly bisinuate, with rectangular angles ; its 

 sides finely margined and slightl}^ curved, but almost straight at the base ; 

 moderately closely, distinctly, yet rather finely punctured, with a few small 

 granules near the basal margin ; there is a large but shallow impression 

 in front of the scutellum, and a transverse one near each hind angle. 

 Scutellum subtriangular, finely punctate. Elytia oblong, four times the 

 length of thorax, a little broader than it is at the base, with rounded and 

 slightly elevated shoulders ; moderately closely punctured, much more 

 coarsely than the thorax, indistinctly behind. 



Antennae elongate, basal joint thick, oblong, the next very small, third 

 as long as fourth or following ones. 



