Lea — On Australian Coleoptera 403 



conspicuously acute: there is a rather vague oblique impression (generally, how- 

 ever, with distinct punctures ) on each side, the two meeting or almost meeting, on 

 the scutellar lobe : the punctures on the disc are subject to individual variation, 

 thev are dense and sharply defined on several specimens, sparser and smaller on 

 others, but they appear to be always dense and rather coarse on the sides, 

 although not confluent: except for a slight diminution of the sides the elytra, of 

 the male, seem almost square. The outlines are much as in D. aurichalceus . but 

 the punctures are coarser, sides of prothc irax non-strigose, and legs not red, etc. : 

 D. melasomiis has somewhat similar outlines, but is non-metallic and the punc- 

 tures and inter-ocular space are very different : it is somewhat like D. glossatus, 

 but the legs are not red. and the elytra not shagreened. 



DITROPIDUS OBSCURIPENNIS sp, nov, 



d Coppery or coppery-bronze, under-surface and legs black with a slight 

 metallic gloss, basal half of antennae reddish. Head, under-surface, and legs 

 with inconspicuous pubescence. 



Head vaguely shagreened. and with dense, sharply defined punctures, 

 slightly larger on cly]:eus than elsewhere : median line rather feeble. Eyes 

 moderately separated. Prnthorax at base not twice a= wide as the median length, 

 sides strongly narrowed to apex, with a shallow hisinuate depression near base, 

 its middle on the scutellar lobe : with fairlv dense, sharpl)' defined punctures, 

 becoming larger and crowded on sides. F.lvfra oblong; with rows of rather large 

 punctures, on the sides set in deep striae, surface conspicuously shagreened. Legs 

 rather stout, front ones slightlv longer than hind ones. Length ( cJ 9 ). 2-25-2 y^ 

 mm. 



9 Differs in having the median line of the head deeper, especially' near 

 the base, labrum slightlv smaller, elvtra not at all narrowed till close to apex, 

 legs somewhat shorter, with the fmnt ,-ind hind ones of equal lengths, and abdo- 

 men with a large apical fovea. 



Hah. South .Australia: T eigh Creek (Blackburn's collection. No, 2643). 

 Parachilra (K. L. .Savage). Type, I. T0845. 



.Some specimens have a slight purplish gloss; the sides of the labrum are 

 sometimes obscurelv diluted with red. The shagreenin? of the elvtra causes the 

 surface to appear less polished tlian the prnthorax. their lateral interstices are 

 more acutely costate than is usual in the genus. The distance between the eyes of 

 the male is about erinal to the length of the two basal joints of antennae, in the 

 male it is about one-third more: on the onlv male from Leigh Creek the abdomen 

 at first glance appears to be without an apical impression, but from some direc- 



