191 



l)esides being finer than in that insect, it has a faint, obliterated, 

 appearance. 



South Australia ; I am not sure whether I took this specimen 

 near Adelaide or in the Port Lincoln district. 



SCYMNUS. 



A. Prosternum antice sequaliter convexum, nee depressum nee 

 carinatum. 



jS'. inusitatus, sp. nov. Ovalis ; pubescens ; sat convexus ; niti- 

 dus ; piceus ; tibiis tarsisque dilutioribus ; capite protho- 

 raceque obsolete, elytris fortius crebrius^ punctulatis. Long., 

 11.; lat., ^-Vl. 



The mesosternum is of moderate size and is truncate in front ; 

 the abdominal lamellae are incomplete, their hind and external 

 outline being confused with the outline of the basal ventral seg- 

 ment. There are six ventral segments, the apical four not differ- 

 ing much inte7' se in length ; the suture between the basal and 

 next segment is very fine and obscure in the middle ; the metas- 

 ternum is impunctate down the middle, its sides (and also the 

 ventral segments) being lightly and sparingly punctulate. The 

 -elytral puncturation compared with that of C. Jiavifrons, mihi, is 

 larger, more sparing, and much smoother. 



The number of ventral segments in Scymnus is stated by Dr. 

 Chapuis as five, but even in some European Scymni there is a 

 small sixth segment, so that the development of the sixth segment 

 in the present species may be merely a question of degree. The 

 entire absence of any longitudinal sculpture traversing the median 

 part of the prosternum is also approximated by some European 

 forms attributed to the genus. Therefore, although it is likely 

 that these peculiarities will sooner or later be regarded as valid 

 generic characters, I do not think they call for the immediate 

 creation of a new name. 



Near Port Lincoln ; taken by sweeping low plants. 



AA. Prosternum medio longitudinaliter depressum, spatio de- 

 presso utrinque longitudinaliter carinato. 

 B. Spatio depresso sat lato plus minus parallelo. 

 /S. insidiosiis, sip. noY. Breviter ovalis ; pubescens; sat convexus; 

 nitidus ; piceo niger ; capite, prothorace (disco excepto), 

 elytris maculis nonnullis epipleurisque, abdominis apice, et 

 pedibus (tibiis posticis 4 plus minus infuscatis exceptis), 

 testaceis ; capite prothoraceque vix perspicue, elytris obscure 

 minus crebre, punctulatis. Long., -^^1.; lat., -|k ("^i^-) 

 Yar. pallipes. Pedibus totis pallide testaceis. 

 Var. major. Corpore ma j ore, prothorace pedibusque totis 

 testaceis. 



