Lea — On Australian Coleoptera 87 



A l)eetle recently received from Mr. 11. W. Brown proves to he a member 

 of this remarkal)le genus, liitlierto unknown from Australia, and whose head- 

 quarters are central America and Brazil. It is characterized by having the head 

 entirely concealed from above, and fitting into a cavity in the prosternum ; eyes 

 large, smooth, and with facets so small that thev are scarcelv visible; antennae 

 approximate at the base, inserted almost at the tip of the head, and produced for- 

 ward, with the three basal joints fitting into a notch in the mesosternum, the notch 

 \-ery similar to that of many fJatcridac; all the legs received into cavities, eacii 

 tibia lilting into a femur, and each tarsus inln a tibia; of the tarsal joints the 

 third is cons[)icuously produced below, and (|uite concealing, the small fourth, 

 and the claws are strongly appendiculate. The genus constitutes the subfamily 

 Chclonayiidcs. generally regarded as somewhat dubiously placed in the Bynitidac. 

 At first glance tlie species described below has a vague resemblance to some of the 

 cr} i)toce])lialous Aiiobiidcs. 



CHELONARIUM AUSTRALICUM sp. nov. 



riate i, fig. 3. 



D.ark brown, in places almost black, parts of appendages jjaler. Rather 

 lightly clothed with jjale depressed setae, in places forming loosely compacted 

 spots; under-surface with shorter, denser, slightly darker, and more uniform 

 clothing. 



Head with crowded and moderately large punctures. Eyes separated rather 

 more than their own width from each other. Antennae with first joint concealed 

 except at the sides, second moderately long and about half the length of third. 

 Prothnrax almost semicircular, margins gently elc\ated and undulating, base 

 finely denticulate; punctures nnich less crowded than on head, but similar in 

 size. SciitcUiiui moderately large. Elytra with outlines subcontinuous with 

 those of prothorax ; with rather small. shalUiw punctures, less numerous than on 

 prothorax. Prostcnnnn about thrice the width of head, and with very similar 

 punctures; mesosternum with intercoxal notch triangular; episterna normally 

 concealed ; metasternal episterna rather short, epimera small and triangular ; 

 elytral epi|ileurae \ery conspicuous at sides of metasternum, very narrow thence 

 to apex. .-UhIduicu con\'ex ; with small, crowfled punctiu'es, sparser in mirldle of 

 liase than elsewhere. Length, 7 mm. 



I lab. Queensland : South Johnstone River (IT. \\'. Brown). Type 

 ( unif|ue ). 1. 9301. 



In general appearance like C. ttitdatiiin (from Brazil), and with base of 

 prothorax similarly denticulate, but considerably larger, eyes more widely 

 separated, head more distant from front of prosternum, and punctures and 



