OF NEW ZEALAND. 515 



elytris valde elongatis, subtiliter seriatim punctatis, et transversim rugu- 

 losis, apice extreme brevissime setigero. 



Long. (excl. rost), 3^-4^ mm. ; lat., vix. i mm. 



In this species the head and rostrum of the male are very thick, and 

 are rather closely and evenly punctured ; the rostrum is dilated at the 

 extremity, and only a little longer than the head ; in the female the ros- 

 trum is rather slender, and is twice as long as the head ; in each sex the 

 antenna are inserted near the eyes, so that in the female the portion of 

 the rostrum in front of the point of insertion is three or four times as 

 long as the part between the insertion and the eyes ; the second joint of 

 the funiculus is not at all longer than the following ones \ the thorax is 

 very little contracted at the base ; the sculpture of the elytra is peculiar, 

 consisting of fine series intermediate between punctures and striae, with 

 distinct transverse rugae. The development of the head and rostrum in 

 the male sex varies much, so that in some individuals it is not much 

 thicker than in the female. 



I have named this very remarkable species in honour of the able 

 author of the paper on the Genera of Cossonidce, published by the Ento- 

 mological Society of London four years ago. A large colony of the 

 species seems to have been discovered recently by Mr. Thos. Lawson, 

 at Auckland 



NOTE. I found this insect recently near Whangarei Harbour, where 

 it lives on the Nikau. 



918. P. debile, Sharp; Trans. Entom. Soc., 1878, /. 10. Elon- 

 gatum, angustum, subdepressum, nitidum, ferrugineum ; oculis a collo 

 remotis ; prothorace minus elongate, antrorsum fortiter angustato, ad 

 marginem anteriorem leviter constricto, crebre fortiter punctato ; elytris 

 sat fortiter punctato-striatis, apice brevissime setigero. 



Long., 2j mm. 



This little species in all its characters closely approaches the Pentar- 

 thrum wollastoniamim, but it is very much smaller, and the sculpture of 

 the thorax and elytra is coarser, the latter being, however, nearly desti- 

 tute of .transverse ruga? ; the form of the head and rostrum is similar in 

 the two species, but, in the male of P. debile, the incrassation of these 

 parts does not attain such an extreme point as it does in P. wollasto- 

 nianum. The point of insertion of the antennae is not so near the eye 

 in P. debile, it being in the male just about the middle of the rostrum, 

 in the female a little behind it. 



For this species I am also indebted to Mr. R. Lawson, who recently 

 received it from his brother, with the P. wollastonianum. 



NOTE. This species also is found on the Nikau. 



919. P. piceum, n.s. This species very much resembles &Rhyn- 

 colus, and is, therefore, quite unlike the true Pentarthra. 



Its body is pitchy-black and moderately shining, with the legs and 

 antennae pitchy-red ; it is robust and convex. 



The antenna are inserted at the middle of the rostrum, are rather 

 short and stout ; the scape is shorter than the funiculus, the basal joint 



