396 Mr. D. Sharp on the Elateridse of New Zealand. 



what resembles CalUdula ; in structure, however, it agrees 

 with Cleis. I believe the Agonis lyccenoides of Felder to be 

 a slightlj aberrant form of Cleosti-is, to which genus the fol- 

 lowing species are referable — C. erycinoides (of Walker), G. 

 anchoray G. Felderi^ and G. catamita. 



1 0. Gleis j)osftcah's. 



Cleis posticalis, Guerin, Voy. Duperrey, Atlas, Ins. pi. 18. f. 5. 

 Damias melaxanthe, Boisduval, Voy. de 1' Astrolabe, p. 260. n. 2 (1832-5), 



Duke-of-York Island [Rev. G. Broion). B.M. 



Our example was recently presented to the collection bj F. 

 DuCane Godman, Esq. The allied genus Gallidula contains 

 four species, G. petavius, G. abisara, G. sakuniy and G.Jucujidaj 

 the genus Tyndaris, T. erycinata (the male of which is 

 figured by Felder as that sex of his T. loitifica) and T. 

 lo'.tijica. 



The Damias elegans of Boisduval is probably congeneric 

 with the Nyctemera suhaspersa of Walker, for which, there- 

 fore, I shall provisionally retain the name. N. subasi^ersay 

 although coloured somewhat like Secusio annulata^ has long, 

 slender, filiform antennae, and is more nearly allied to Gleis. 



XXXIX. — On tlieYAaXoxx^^ of New Zealand. By D. Sharp. 



In this paper I have put together descriptions of all the 

 beetles belonging to the family Elateridse I have been able to 

 procure from New Zealand, and have indicated their struc- 

 tural characters in a manner which, although very imperfect, 

 will, I believe, allow the names and aflfinities of most of the 

 species to be determined without much difficulty. 



I have included under the Elateridse four or five species of 

 Eucnemidse ; for though several able entomologists consider 

 the Eucnemidse to be a distinct family, I am unable myself 

 to consider them such so long as the present extension is 

 granted to the Elateridas. The Eucnemidas, in fact, possess 

 no point of real distinction from the Elateridse : the form of 

 the head (which is usually relied on to separate the two fami- 

 lies) is not a sufficient character ; for it undergoes various 

 modifications in both the Eucnemidge and Elateridse, and in 

 some species of Eucnemidse its structure is more different from 

 that of the typical members of the family than it is from that 

 of the Elateridse. Taking the term Elateridse, then, in this 

 wide sense, I have been able to distinguish about sixty-two 



