272 COLEOPTERA 



The above description has been taken from rriale specimens in my 

 own collection. I have two examples of what' I believe to be the female 

 of this species, having an indistinctly elevated protuberance in front of 

 the thorax, the surface being finely and remotely punctured, and the 

 insect generally more shining and elongate, but, as I am not very certain 

 about it, I have abstained from giving a description of the female. 



477. P. punctatUS, White; Voy. Er. Terr., Ins., p. 9. Head 

 with a flattish somewhat triangular projection on the crown, behind 

 which are two rather coarsely punctured depressions ; thorax with a 

 protuberance in the middle of the fore edge, depressed behind; the 

 sides of thorax with two depressions on each side, the posterior larger ; 

 scutellum smooth; elytra covered with punctures, some of them arranged 

 in lines ; the whole of the upper side very deep blackish brown, the 

 suture pitchy ; front of the head, under side of body and legs pitchy 

 brown ; under side of thorax covered with long pale ferruginous silky 

 hairs; mesa-tibia and meta-tibicz behind with a row of longish ferruginous 

 hairs. 



Length, 9^ lines. 



Waikouaiti (Mr. Earl). 



NOTE. I have two or three examples of what I believe to be this 

 species ; they were found near Tairua, and I hope to get one compared 

 with the type in the British Museum. 



478. P. Stupidus, Sharp ; Entom. Man. Mag., August, 1878, /. 

 50. Supra nigro-piceus, nitidus, subtus cum pedibus piceo-rufis, et 

 (abdomine excepto) fulvo-hirsutus ; prothorace transverso, elytris an- 

 gustiore, impunctato ; elytris obsolete punctatis, et vix perspicue sulcatis ; 

 pygidio utrinque parce punctate. 



Long., 18-22 mm. ; lat, 11-12^ mm. ; alt, 8^-9^ mm. 



Mas. Prothorace in medio pone marginem anteriorem obsolete 

 tuberculato, et in medio indeterminate depresso. 



Fern. Prothoracis tuberculo et depressione segre distinguendis. 



Head rough over all the upper surface, on the middle indefinitely 

 transversely elevated, the clypeus much narrowed to the front, and the 

 front edge in the middle a little reflexed, and obscurely emarginate ; 

 the form of this part does not differ in the sexes. 



Several very mutilated individuals, of this species were sent from 

 Otago by Prof. Hutton ; I should fancy they were picked up dead. 



OBS. There are two very distinct forms placed in collections as 

 Pericoptus, and though at first sight they appear very similar, I think 

 they will probably ultimately form distinct genera. In the larger 

 insect, which is generally called in collections P. truncatus, the anterior 

 part of the head is flattened, and placed on a different plane to the 

 hinder part, so that the front part forms a sort of disc, which is evidently 

 the same in kind (though less in development) as that of Temnorhynchus. 

 In the species I have here described as P. stupidus, the head departs 

 but little from the Pentodon form. So far as I can judge from White's 

 description of Cheiroplatys punctatus, I consider it will prove allied to 

 P. stupidus. 



