199 



R. discolor, Er. [var (?) proprius.'] The insect which I 

 attribute to this species measures 2|^ 1. in length, whereas 

 R. (Scymnus) discolor is said to be 2 L, and there is evidently 

 some confusion or mistake about the size, for comparing it 

 with R. (Scymnus) ventralis, which is said to be 2 J 1., Erichsen 

 calls it •' duplo fere minor." Besides this, my specimen dis- 

 plays some colour discrepancy, its upper surface being red brown, 

 inclining to pitchy on the head and prothorax, with the margins 

 of the latter, the shoulders, and the suture, bright red ; whereas 

 Erichsen makes the colour black, with the head and the lateral 

 margins of the prothorax red. According to Erichsen the pro- 

 thorax should be rather sparingly punctulate, whereas in my 

 example this segTuent (though less closely punctured than the 

 elytra) bears decidedly dense puncturation at the sides, while that 

 of the disc is a little more sparse. The elytra are strongly sub- 

 rugosely and very closely punctured, and have obsolete indica- 

 tions of striation, but without the slightest tendency to linear 

 puncturation. The whole upper surface is clothed with short, 

 very fine, sub-recumbent pubescence, among which are other hairs 

 standing up more erectly and evidently (though not very much) 

 stouter and longer. 



Compared with the European R. liturus, Fab., this insect is 

 very much larger and much more parallel-sided in form, with the 

 prothorax very much more transverse (twice as wide as long), its 

 sides being more strongly rounded. The puncturation through- 

 out is very similar to that of R. liturus. 



As I have seen several specimens of the above described form 

 not varying inter se, except in a tendency in some to a reddening 

 of the elytral margins as well as the suture, it would seem to re- 

 present at least a localized variety deserving of a -name, and is 

 very likely to be a species distinct from the Tasmanian original. 

 I may add that M. Mulsant mentions the testaceous color of the 

 abdominal plates as a character of R. discolor ; this is not alluded 

 to by Erichsen, nor do I find it in specimens before me, — which 

 have the underside of a nearly unicolorous ferruginous, the ab- 

 dominal plates extending back not much more than half the length 

 of the basal ventral segment, and being punctured uniformly with 

 the segment itself. 



Occurs near Port Lincoln. 



R. cyaneus, sp. nov. Elongatus ; vix subparallelus ; pubescens ; 

 subnitidus ; supra (capite piceo excepto) obscure cyaneus ; 

 subtus, antennis, palpis, pedibusque, obscure ferrugineis; 

 prothorace quam longiori minus duplo latiori, elytris sat 

 angustiori, antice leviter angustato, lateribus leviter arcuatis, 

 angulis anticis subrotundatis haud prominulis, posticis sub- 



