Mr. D. Sharp ''/< thf Elateridae of New ZealanJ. 403 



Group 1. — The follow iiig are the structural characters Ijy 

 which species Nos. 1,2, 3, 4, and 5 may be identified : — 



Forehead quite straight in front, slightly overhanging the 

 perpendicular clypeus, so that a very distinct step exists 

 between the forehead and the labruni ; antennal sj)aces very 

 small, broadly separated ; antennie with joints 2 and 3 but little 

 developed, 4—10 always at least serrate internally, sometimes 

 "with anterior internal angle much prolonged, 11th joint with 

 a more or less distinct terminal appendage or false joint. 

 Mesosternal cavity and its suture with the metasternum varia- 

 ble. Tarsi simple and linear, the 4th joint rather long, though 

 a good deal shorter than any of the others ; coxal plate of 

 hind coxa^ -well-developed throughout, its trochanteral portion 

 quite twice as long as its femoral. Elytra not acuminate. 

 Species of large size. 



The nearest ally I can point out for these species is the 

 Chilian Z>mca«Mrt nigra, 8olier. CandJ^ze locates this Chilian 

 insect in liis subtribe Elaterltes. Only one of the five New- 

 Zealand species I am alluding to was known to this writer, 

 viz. the Ochostermis Parry i ) and in his work it is placed in the 

 subtribe Ludiites, being associated with the Elater zealandicus 

 to form the genus Ochosternus. This, however, is certainly 

 erroneous; for the form of the front of the head of Ochosternus 

 Parryi will not allow it to be either correctly associated in 

 one genus with Elater zealandicus or located in the Ludiites. 

 On the contrary the species appears to me to be, as I have 

 said, allied to Diacantka ni(jra, from which it differs by the 

 more largely developed antennae, by the more elongate clypeus, 

 and by the more raised borders of the mesosternal cavity. 

 The five New-Zealand species agree in most respects ; but 

 Elater hevithorcuc departs considerably from the other four 

 species by its much-raised mesosternal cavity, and by the 

 nearly obliterated intercoxal suture. 



6. Metahlax Broum\ n. sp. 



M. colore variabilis, elongatus, nitidus, ina^qualitcr albido pubes- 

 cens ; prothorace anguhs postcrioribus divergentibus, intra latera 

 dopresso, dense punctato, et evidonter sparsiin pubesccntc, medio 

 nitido fere impunctato ; elytris apice acutis, obsolete striatis, in- 

 terstitiis altemis magis pubescentibus, tertio ad basin Icviter 

 prominulo ; sutura iutcrcoxali omnino carena ; tarsis articulia 

 2-4. subtus apicibus membranaceis sod \ix prolongatis. Long. 

 23-25 m. ra. 



The acuminate elytra and the entire absence of any suture 

 between the middle coxa? at the junction of tiie meso- and 



