OF NEW ZEALAND. 1015 



articulo ultimo quam praecedente paulo longiore et tenuiore ; mentum 

 latum valde transversum, anterius emarginatum. Antennce 9-arti- 

 culatse, clava laxa elongata ; meso sternum muticum ; femora subtus 

 pubescentia ; tarsi posteriores nullo modo remiformes, breves, subtus 

 pubescentes baud rigide ciliati, articulo basali brevissimo ; ungui- 

 culi parvi simplices. Pronotum basi obsolete marginato ; elytra 

 striata. 



This genus consists of insects baving the appearance and colora- 

 tion of convex Philydri, but is more nearly allied to Hydrobiiis, 

 from which it differs by the more feeble palpi, broad and emarginate 

 mentum, unarmed mesosternum, and by the more laxly articulated 

 tarsal joints, furnished beneath with pubescence instead of rigid 

 ciliae. Although very different in size and appearance from the 

 genus Anac&na, the systematic characters bring the two near 

 together; but Saphydrus has striate elytra, and the inflexed 

 epipleura is pubescent for all its length, and marked off by a raised 

 line extending four-fifths of the length of the wing-case. It comes 

 equally close to Hygmodus, but the claws are small, with indistinct 

 basal lobe. 



The genus will probably prove peculiar to New Zealand. The 

 nearest ally I know of to it is a Chilian genus not yet described. 



I have at present included in the genus insects having glabrous 

 and others having punctate-pubescent femora ; it is probable, how- 

 ever, that it will prove a correct course to ultimately separate the 

 former as a distinct genus, between Saphydrus and Eygmodus ; 

 but, as the few species known to me appear to indicate that the 

 sculpture of the femora may, when more species are known, not 

 prove a sufficiently definite distinction, I do not think it necessary 

 to propose two genera at present. 



The four new species known to me may be tabulated thus : 

 Femora punctate and pubescent beneath . . . . 1. 



Femora glabrous . . 





j Elytra with a pale humeral spot . . 



(Elytra without .. .. 



f First joint of antennal club scarcely so long as broad 

 (First joint of antennal club longer than broad 



2. 



S. suffusus. 

 S. obesus. 

 S. longulus. 

 S. antennatus. 



1817. S. SUffuSUS, n.s. (Sharp; Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 

 1884, p. 468.) Breviter ovalis, sat convexus, dense punctatus ; 

 elytris pubescentia tenuissima segre observanda vestitis; fuscus, 

 elytris margine externa maculaque humerali pallidioribus ; prothoracis 

 lateribus argute testaceis, pedibus runs, antennis palpisque fusco- 

 testaceis, illarum clava fusca ; femoribus posterioribus subtus punc- 

 tato-pubescentibus. 



Long., 5mm. ; lat., 3Jmm. 



The head and thorax are closely and rather coarsely punctate, 

 shining, blackish, the anterior part of the clypeus more or less 

 flavescent, and the sides of the thorax yellow. Elytra densely 

 punctate, with a very fine indistinct pubescence, and with eight or 

 nine rows of closely placed punctures, which are not very distinct 

 amongst the general punctuation, while the external are quite in- 



