44 Mr. D. Sharp on the Dascillidae of New Zealand. 



Group 1. — The only species yet brought to light to form 

 this group exhibits the following characters : — 



Size greater than other New-Zealand species; build robust. 

 Antennse elongate. Head short and broad, the interantennal 

 portion not extended forwards ; the antennal fossas very pro- 

 found, and making the angle of the gena at the base of the 

 maxilla very prominent ; genal line very acutely raised ; 

 mentum elongate, with the rather large bilobed ligula placed 

 conspicuously at its apex ; labial palpi not furcate, but with 

 the 2nd joint much incrassate. Front cox£e elongate, oblique, 

 transverse, excessively exposed ; front band of prosternum 

 excessively short ; prosternal process entirely exposed below 

 the cox^, and forming in front a very prominent angle with 

 the middle piece of the prosternum. Coxal articulation of 

 meso- and metasterna perfect, and middle coxee well im- 

 bedded. 



2. Cyprohius nitidus, n. sp. 



G. ovalis, haud elongatus, sat convexus, parcius punctatus, nitidus, 

 parcius longiusque pubescens, brunneo-castaneus ; antennis minus 

 elongatis, articulo tertio elongate, quam quartus haud duplo brevi- 

 ore ; prothorace perbrevi, anterius in medio rotundato utrinque vix 

 sinuato, angulis anterioribus haud productis, basi rotundata ; 

 elytris parcius piinctatis. Long. 5 m, m., lat. 2^ m. m. 



This species has quite the form aud appearance of the 

 species of Cyphon. The pubescence of the elytra is longer 

 and less depressed than in any other New-Zealand species 

 here described, but it is rubbed off under very slight friction. 



Sent from Tairua by Captain Broun to Mr. Wakefield and 

 myself as nos. 5 and 7. 



Group 2. — A single species (no. 2) is also all I can at 

 present assign to this group. It departs but little in its struc- 

 tural characters from Byrrhodes ; it is, however, of rather 

 small size, and the antennae are only moderately long ; the 

 head is very short, and the parts of the mouth very little 

 prominent; and the mentum is rather shorter than it is broad, 

 differing therefore strikingly from that of Byrrhodes gravidus. 



Both by structure and appearance this form connects the 

 group of peculiar New-Zealand genera possessing a deep an- 

 tennal fossa with the group no. 7 of this paper {Cyphon)^ in 

 which the fossa is absent. 



