308 



M. bruniiescens, Reitt. I have no doubt that I have correctly 

 identified this species, which so far as my experience goes is the 

 only widely distributed Australian member of the genus. I 

 have examples from Central Australia, W. Australia, and S. 

 Australia. In one particular it does not strictly agree with the 

 description, which calls the " head and prothorax " ^^ confer tissime 

 subtiliter subruguloso-punctata.^' This expression applies quite 

 satisfactorily to the pronotum of the specimens before me, but 

 the head is distinctly less closely, less finely, punctulate. This 

 discrepancy does not affect my confidence in the identification, 

 inasmuch as I fiud that Reitter in his descriptions of species of 

 this genus did not (in any instance before me) distinguish 

 between the puncturation of the head and the pronotum, whereas 

 I can scarcely find a Macroura in which there is not a distinct 

 difference between those two segments in respect of puncturation. 

 Moreover, the difference is more marked in the males than in the 

 females. Furthermore, Reitter's descriptions in this genus are 

 shown to be somewhat hastily drawn up by his not (in the 

 instances before me) referring to the armature of the extero- 

 apical portion of the front tibise which is a most valuable 

 character for distinguishing the species. I have made this note 

 because hrunnescens appears to be decidedly the most con- 

 venient species wherewith to compare other Australian members 

 of the genus (as being a comparatively common and a very well 

 marked species) and therefore it is desirable that there should be 

 no doubt about which is the insect that I refer to under that 

 name. It is easily recognised amon^ the Macrource known to 

 me by its lurid brown elytra (in contrast to the nigro-piceous 

 general colour of the upper surface), the extremely fine and close 

 sub-asperate puncturation of its pronotum and the extero-apical 

 corner of its front tibise having a small bifid prominence. It is 

 very variable in size. 



M. nigra, Reitt. In some previous remarks on this species 

 (T.R.S., S.A., 1891, p. 109) I gave my reasons for thinking 

 M. Baileyi, Blackb., distinct from it. After examination of 

 MacrourcB from various parts of Australia which were not then 

 before me I incline to reverse my former judgment, which was 

 based chiefly on Reitter's statement that the apex of the elytra 

 in M. nigra is truncate. Reitter, however, regards the trunca- 

 tion of the elytra as a generic character, and qualifies it by 'the 

 statement (in the diagnosis of the genus) that the apex of the 

 elytra is rounded at the angles. His statement concerning the 

 elytra of M. nigra, therefore, amounts to no more than that 

 their form is normal and does not necessarily imply that they 

 are more abruptly truncate than those of their congeners. 

 Reitter also (in his notes on the species) qualifies his statement 



