120 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



NOTES ON A REMARKABLE LONGICORN BEETLE 

 NEW FOR VICTORIA. 



This very rare and singular insect, Ceragidion horrens, is one of 

 the oldest of the described longicorns of Australia, it having been 

 found by the late R. Cunningham, brother of the well-known 

 traveller and botanist, A. Cunningham, in New South Wales, and 

 described by Boisduval in the ''Voyage" of the French war-ship 

 Astrolabe in 1827, which vessel, under the celebrated D'Urville, 

 visited Australia in tliat year ; the naturalist of the expeditioHj 

 which was one of those sent in search of the unfortunate La 

 Perouse, being M. Lesson, a name well known to ornithologists 

 throughout the world. The specimen exhibited this evening was 

 taken by myself during the late trip to Croajingolong, in East 

 Gippsland. The party having camped on the St. Patrick river, 

 the day being very wet, we remained, as already stated, in camp, 

 and just before dark, I was carrying a large and very wet log for 

 the fire, when I saw the insect crawling on the log. I caught the 

 beetle, dropped the log, and after placing my specimen in spirits, 

 went back for the log, and had a good search hoping to find the 

 female, but in this I was disappointed. Another specimen of 

 the same beetle was taken near Mount Ellery by one of our party, 

 Mr. Searle, but was, I believe, lost. This longicorn is exceedingly 

 rare in collections. The description of the insect will be new to 

 most of us, and as the first discovery of it is somewhat historical 

 I have copied it from the " Voyage of the Astrolabe^'' in which 

 fine work it is also figured, there being neither an English or 

 Latin description in our Public Library, and I have to thank my 

 friend, Mr. Luehmann, for the English translation. Its position 

 is between that of Microtragus and Athemistus, and in the sub- 

 family Lamidse. 



description. 



Body blackish, with small pale hairs ; head having on its 

 anterior parts some wrinkles and sunken points j antennae velvety, 

 blackish, with the last more grey ; shield a little rugose, with four 

 conical points underneath, separated by a smooth space and a 

 middle line, having at its anterior extremity a small slightly- 

 protruding tubercule ; wing-cases having below some sunken 

 points, and on the sides some small roundish tubercules, each 

 having besides two strong spines, laterally broad and compressed, 

 the first deeply bifid, situated near the base, the second near the 

 middle bent backwards and very slightly bifid; legs blackish 

 brown, partly furnished with a reddish brown down. 



This is the first time this insect has been recorded from Vic- 

 toria. 



C. FRENCH. 



Botanical Museum, Wi/jtiy, 1889, 



