91 



exceptis), elytrorum fasciis binis suturam versus abbreviatis,. 

 pygidio (macula nigra excepta) et corpore subtus (prosterno 

 medio, mesosterno, metasterni lateribus margineque postico, 

 et abdominis basi nigris exceptis) ruiis ; oculis minus ap- 

 proximatis ; prothorace postice linea transversa arcuata 

 punctulata instructo, lateribus fere rectis ; elytrorum sutura 

 et ad basin linea arcuata punctulata impressis, his in medio- 

 disci puncturarum seriebus 2 antice et postice abbreviatis 

 instructis. 

 Maris tibiis anticis elongatis, basi f ortiter arcuatis ; meta- 

 sterno punctula.to pubescenti, utrinque pilis longissimis 

 penicillam formantibus. Long., 2^ 1. ; lat., 1^1. 



Colour and markings have been so much relied on in most of 

 the descriptions of Australian Scai^hidia that it is difficult to- 

 specify distinctions other than colour in adding a new species. I 

 have seen several specimens of the insect before me, which I took 

 in decayed wood. Its colouring comes nearest to S. exomatum, 

 Oberthiir (known to me only by description). In that species the 

 base of the antennae is said to be red, the femora partly red, the 

 underside (except the apex) black, and the markings of the elytra 

 appear to consist of black spots on a red derm ; all these differ- 

 ences point clearly, I think, to specific distinctness — -but even if 

 the present insect should be an Alpine form of an already named 

 species, it would be desirable to give it a var. name, as all the 

 examples I have seen are quite identical in colour and markings. 



Victoria ; in the Alpine district. 



SCAPIIISOMA. 



8. novicmn, sp. nov. Obovatum ; nitidum, sparsim valde le\ite.i 

 punctulatum ; nigrum, palpis antennarum basi pedibus et 

 elytrorum apice testaceis vel rufis ; scutello vix manifesto ; 

 elytrorum stria suturali prope basin extrorsum arcuata. 

 Maris metasterno utrinque postice longitudinaliter profunde 

 sulcato, segmento ventrali penultimo minus abbreviate. 

 Long., ± 1. ; lat., f 1. 



This species is scarcely distinguishable except by its smaller 

 size, much more feebly impressed (though otherwise very similar) 

 puncturation, and sutural stria bent outward at the base, from 

 the European aS'. agaricinum, Leach. The sexual characters of 

 *S'. agaricinum, however, do not seem to have been recorded, and 

 my type of that insect is a female, so I cannot say whether they 

 are similar to those of aS'. novicmn. The male example of the 

 latter, from which T have described what I suppose to be sexual 

 characters is immature (it is almost uniformly testaceous in 

 colour), but I do not think the metasternal characters mentioned 



