OF NEW ZEALAND. 1247 



2195. P. amicum, n.s. Shining, sparsely clothed with 

 minute greyish and yellow hairs ; rostrum red, thorax chestnut-red, 

 elytra pale or yellowish chestnut, their sides darker; legs fulvescent, 

 antennae and tarsi red, club paler. 



P. zealandicum is the nearest ally. This differs in coloration 

 and vestiture ; it has a rather longer and narrower rostrum, which 

 is feebly canaliculate ; the thorax is shorter, less rounded behind 

 the middle, the frontal constriction is continued from side to side, 

 the punctuation is finer, more distant on the dorsum than at the 

 sides ; elytra similar in form, the punctures in the striae smaller and 

 not so close to one another, the serial punctures on the interstices 

 minute and remote ; antenna rather short, second joint of funiculus 

 almost equal to the first, club ovate ; third joint of tarsi not dis- 

 tinctly lobate. 



P. subsericatum is subopaque, and the rostrum is moderately 

 densely rugosely punctate. 



<$ . Length, 1 lines ; breadth, J- line. 



Paparoa, near Howick. One male. 



2196. P. helmsianum, n.s. (Sharp; Trans. Ent. Soc., 

 1882, Part i., p. 91.) <$ . Robustum, sat elongatum, nigrum sat 

 nitidum, prothorace crebre fortiter punctate ; elytris sat fortiter 

 striato-punctatis ; rostro lato, anterius latissime angulariter dilatato, 

 subrhomboidali . 



Long., 6mm. 



AntenncB black, with the intermediate joints piceous ; the basal 

 joint opaque and somewhat twisted, so as to appear emarginate in 

 one aspect. Rostrum very broad, extremely dilated in front, so that 

 the sides project as acute angles, and the front margin is curved ; 

 the upper part is rather closely, the anterior more sparingly, punc- 

 tate ; the neck is smooth, and the eyes are not very far from the 

 front of the thorax. This latter part is rather broad, and a good 

 deal rounded at the sides, the surface rather coarsely, moderately 

 closely, evenly punctate and shining. Elytra with impressed striae, 

 which are distinctly punctate ; the interstices scarcely punctate, 

 but somewhat dull and obscurely rugulose. Legs black, robust, all 

 the tibiae armed at the apex internally with an angular process, which 

 is on the hind legs large and remarkable. The female is unknown. 



This peculiar insect will probably ultimately form the type of a 

 genus distinct from Pentat 'thrum, but, as it goes very well into that 

 genus, as at present defined, it is not necessary to make a new 

 name for it. The great development of the rostrum reminds one 

 rather of some of the Brenthidce than of a Cossonid. The two indi- 

 viduals before me are quite similar, and I have no doubt I am cor- 

 rect in considering them to be of the male sex. 



Greymouth. Helms. 



2197. P. cephalotes, n.s. (Sharp; Trans. Roy. Dub. Soc., 

 1886, p. 430.) Subcylindricum, piceum, nitidum, rostro breve, 

 vertice globoso-inflato, oculis a thorace remotis ; prothorace crebre 



18 FT. v. 



