OF NEW ZEALAND. 1121 



1989. A. nigrescens, n.s. Subopaquc, black, legs infuscate, 

 knees rufescent, tarsi testaceous, antennae fuscous ; pubescence 

 cinereous. 



Head finely and closely punctate, frontal carina well developed. 

 Antenna thick, moderately elongate, slightly serrate ; secojnd and 

 third joints reddish, transverse, third rather smaller than second ; 

 joints 4-10 longer than broad, densely ciliated. Thorax nearly as 

 long as broad, closely and finely punctured, feebly canaliculate, 

 posterior angles not divergent. Elytra rather closely and finely 

 punctured, with numerous vague striae, the sutural row of punc- 

 tured coarser and deeper near the extremity ; there are two basal 

 impressions, so that the shoulders seem raised. Tarsi narrow, 

 nearly equalling the tibiae in length. 



$ . Length, If lines ; breadth, quite f line. 



Tairua, 1884. One male only. 



OBS. No. 1367 becomes Agalba cylindrata. 



Group ELATERID-ffi. 



Protelater. 



1990. P. urquharti, n.s. Shining, smoky-black ; elongate, 

 narrow ; sparsely clothed with fine yellowish hairs. 



Head'vfith some fine punctures, two large spots quite smooth. 

 Prothorax long, rather finely punctured. Antenna reaching back to 

 base of elytra, serrate, second and third joints short, equal. Elytra 

 striate, the striae well marked behind, but quite obsolete from near 

 the base to the middle, the punctures, however, continuous ; inter- 

 stices finely and distantly punctated, the third, fifth, and seventh 

 more elevated behind than the others. 



Agrees pretty well with Dr. Sharp's description of P. nigricans, 

 but the punctures of the thorax are not distinct, being very fine and 

 not at all distant from one another, and the elytral sculpture seems 

 to be essentially different. 



Length, 4^ lines ; breadth, quite J line. 



This species is dedicated to its discoverer, A. T. Urquhart, Esq., 

 Karaka, Auckland. It was taken on Te Aroha. 



1991. P. COSticepS, n.s. Subcylindric, elongate, subopaque ; 

 nigro-fuscous ; the tibiae, middle of femora, and two basal joints of 

 antennae infuscate ; base and apex of femora and posterior tarsi tes- 

 taceous ; elytra with an elongate space on the second and third 

 interstices at the base, four large spots forming a curved, interrupted 

 fascia near the middle, and an apical fascia, more or less testaceous; 

 underside dark ; the surface clothed with greyish or ash-coloured 

 hairs. 



This is distinguished from No. 547, its nearest ally, by the 

 evidently closer punctuation of the head and thorax; the punctures 

 are separated by very narrow intervals, and the sculpture appears 

 rugose. The elytra are more punctate-striate, and the interstices 



