596 COLEOPTERA 



middle, many more small spots towards the apex, and a few near the 

 suture, leaving a broad space across the middle quite nude, and there- 

 fore conspicuous. The antenna are pale red, with white pubescence, the 

 apex of joints from three to eleven infuscate, the apical joints almost 

 entirely fuscous. The legs are bright dark purple, with whitish hairs, the 

 tibiae having one or two fuscous spots, almost bands, on each. The 

 ground-colour is purplish-black, with a slight iridescent hue. 



This species is closely allied in form to X. Icztus, but the absence of 

 punctation on the elytra, and the obvious nude central band, will readily 

 distinguish it ; it is very constant as to size, colour, &c. 



Length, 3^ lines. 



I found about six specimens, on different occasions, at Parua, Whan- 

 garei Harbour. 



1041. X. nanus, Bates ; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., July, 1874. 

 Similar in form to X. griseus, but much smaller and more densely 

 clothed with spotty or lineated griseous pubescence, with darker spots 

 on the elytra, forming in well-preserved examples a somewhat tessellated 

 pattern, the dark colour often concentrating in a patch on each side of 

 the elytra. The thorax is very similar in form, but the two transverse 

 impressed lines are less marked. The elytra are very nearly of the same 

 width at the shoulders as the base of the thorax, their apices are not 

 prolonged but singly rounded, and they have an irregular number of 

 punctures near the base arranged in rows ; they are destitute of impres- 

 sed striae, except the usual sutural one. 



A further distinction from X. griseus, even the smallest examples, 

 is the colour of the antennae, the apices of the joints being always dis- 

 tinctly fuscous or black. The general ground-colour \$> extremely variable, 

 from brown with a scarcely perceptible brassy tinge to dull tawny or pale 

 testaceous. 



Long., 2-2f lin. 



Auckland. Mr. Lawson has sent home a very large number of this 

 small variable species. 



White's description (?) of his X. parvulus consists of the following : 

 " Testaceous, covered with a greyish pubescence ; base of elytra with 

 several dots and four rows of small punctures in two lines, extending to 

 the middle of elytra." No size is given ; and the description applies 

 equally well to our X. agrotus. 



NOTE. In descriptions, I consider it indispensable to indicate size, 

 and, in cases where a genus comprises many species, it should be clearly 

 shown wherein one differs from another ; as neither of these conditions 

 has been complied with in the case of White's X. parvulus, I consider 

 it advantageous to erase the name from our list and let it drop into obli- 

 vion. I regret this, yet I see no use whatever in retaining the name ot 

 a species which cannot be identified, and the remark would apply equally 

 well to many of the species named I can hardly say, described by 

 Fabricius, who, however, wrote at a time when brevity was deemed, 

 perhaps, of primary importance. 



