321 



FF. Antennae, tibiae, and tarsi 



black ... ... lugubris, Blackb. 



DD. Elytra fulvous brown . . . f ulvipennis, Blessi^^. 



CC. Elytra in front with a deep 



foveate sulcus near the margin princeps, Blackb. 

 BBB. Upper surface with markings 



composed of pale pubescence... maculata, Haag-Rut 

 A A. Interval between eyes in both sexes 

 greater than the width of either 

 eye as seen from above . . . carbonaria, Germ. 



HOMOTRYSIS. 



H. maculata, Haag-R. In my collection there are three exam- 

 ples (from the N. Territory) which must be referred, I think, to 

 this species, which was described on a specimen from Cape York, 

 and seems to be a very variable insect, as no two of the three are 

 quite identical with each other. One of them is nearly black, and 

 has a strong tooth on the inner margin of the front tibiae (being 

 probably a male). The other two are coloured in accordance with 

 the description ; one of them, however, has the elytra much more 

 roughly sculptured than the other and than the type (according 

 to description), and is considerably more parallel, and may 

 perhaps represent a distinct species (it is very much broken, un- 

 fortunately), but the pubescent markings on the upper surface of 

 this species are so peculiar that it seems hardly likely two species 

 exactly possessing them should occur in the same locality. The 

 principal difficulty of identification consists in Haag-Rutenberg 

 describing the under surface as "vix punctatum," whereas in all 

 three of my specimens it is very distinctly punctured. I think 

 the author must have made a mistake in this character, as it 

 seems hardly probable that a surface clothed with strong hairs 

 should not be punctulate. 



H. carhonaria, Germ. I have lately observed that Haao- 

 Rutenberg mentions his having seen the type of this species, and 

 also of H. t7'istis, Germ., and does not speak of their being identi- 

 cal. Nevertheless, I adhere to the opinion I have already 

 expressed, that //. carbonaria is the male, and II. tristis the 

 female, of one species. At any rate, all the examples I have seen 

 agreeing witli the description of each are of the sexes Just named. 

 The males have the eyes evidently more approximated than the 

 females, and, owing to the narrowness of the hind body, the sides 

 of the elytra extending beyond it, appear in certain lights to have 

 a fuscous margin, the existence of which 1 believe was by a care- 

 less observation stated by Germar to constitute a variety. The 

 undersurface of the elytra is of a fuscous colour. In H. fiiscipennis, 

 Blessig, I find a similar sexual difference in the pilosity of the 

 prothorax. 

 V 



