Mr. D. Sharp on the Elaterida?. of New Zealand. 397 



species (one of these species, however, is from the Chatham 

 Islands). This must be considered a large number; for in 

 Great Britain we liave only sixty-six species ; moreover the 

 number of New-Zealand species will probably be greatly 

 increased. Indeed there exist already two species which I 

 have not been able to procure, viz. Drasterms nigellus^ White 

 (which is a Eucnemid), and Elater lateristrigatus of the 

 same author. I have satisfied myself as to the names of the 

 previously described species by an examination of the type 

 specimens in the collections of the British Museum and E. 

 W. Janson, Esq. 



These sixty-two species may, it appears to me, be aiTanged 

 in twenty-one groups or genera ; and though I have wished 

 very much to avoid making new generic names, I have 

 unfortunately been obliged to propose such in the case of 

 eleven of the groups ; these names are Thoramus^ Amphi- 

 platys^ Pansp(jeuSj Aglajphus^ LomemuSj Mecastrus, Parinus, 

 Geranus, Protelater, Neocharis, Talerax. 



I must give an explanation of the terms I have used in 

 describing the structure of the head. By the term forehead I 

 mean all the upper surface of the head except the anterior 

 part, and this latter I call the clypeus. It is this anterior part 

 that undergoes so much variation in the family : sometimes it 

 is abruptly deflexed so as to be placed quite at right angles to 

 the forehead, and is sometimes even more or less bent inwards 

 under the forehead, while in other cases this clypeus appears 

 to be merely an extension forwards of the forehead in quite 

 the same plane as it ; and in such cases it is often not easy to 

 trace the line of demarcation between the two. By antennal 

 spaces I allude to tlie depressions in which the cavities or 

 points of insertion of the antennae are placed. These antennal 

 spaces are situated in the outer portion of the clypeus ; and 

 when they extend inwards they occupy more or less of its 

 space and so alter its form. Lacordaire called these spaces in 

 the Buprestidse " antennary cavities 5" but that term ought, I 

 consider, to be used for the actual depression or cavity in 

 which the basal joint of the antenna is inserted. He con- 

 sidered these " antennary cavities " to be of great importance 

 for the classification of the Buprestidas, but to be unimportant 

 in the Elateridaj. In this latter point I think he was mistaken ; 

 the antennal spaces appear to me to be of much importance in 

 the ElateridaB as well as in the Buprestidse. 



As points of general interest, it may be remarked that these 

 sixty-two species of New-Zealand Elateridaj show great 

 variety of structure, and yet that they indicate a very isolated 

 fauna. All the species are peculiar to these islands, except one 



