ON AUSTRALIAN SPECIES OF PLATYSMA. 535 



25. Notes on Species of the GJ-enus Platysma (Coleoptera) 

 from Australia. By V. Lutshnik, Kiev, Russia *. 



[Received April 25, 1916 : Read May 23, 1916.] 



I^^^^- Page 



Stkucture 535 



Systematic 636 



In oiie of my papers I have had occasion to indicate that the 

 punctation of the mesosternal and metasternal episterna in 

 species of the subgenus Sarticus Motsch. (1864) is not important 

 for their definition f- 



I have now a sufficiently large number of specimens of this 

 subgenus from Victoria to confirm the correctness of my remarks. 



I have one example of Platysma [Sarticics) habitans Sloane 

 (1889), from the Ballarat District, which has fully impunctate 

 episterna, but in other features entirely conforms to the original 

 description of this species J. 



I have also one specimen of Platysma (^Sartictis) ohesulum 

 Chaud. (1865) from the same locality, which has one punctate 

 and one impunctate metasternal episterna. As is known, 

 Platysma (Sarticus) rockhamjjtoniense Casteln. (1865) is distin- 

 guished from PI. (S.) ohesulum Chaud. only by its punctate 

 episterna §. This distinction is not constant, and for that reason 

 I consider PI. (S.) rockhamptoniense Casteln. to be a synonym of 

 the last species jj. 



II. 



In his " Review of the genus Sarticus^' Mr. Th. G. Sloane 51 

 erroneously writes regarding the subgenus /S'ariic?(s Motsch., "the 

 basal segment of the abdomen is always punctate." This is not 

 quite correct, because one of the species of this group, namely, 

 Platysma (Sarticus) sa2:>Jiyreomarginatu'm Casteln. (1865), has 

 the abdomen completely impunctate. In the original descrip- 

 tion of Feronia cyaneocincta Chaud. (1865) S^-=^Pl. saphyreo- 

 marginatuni], Chau.doir writes of this species " corpus totum 

 la^ve " **. 



My examples of PI. saphyreomarginatum Casteln., from Victoria 

 and Queensland, have the abdomen completely impunctate. 



* Communicated by the Seceetaet. 



f Lutshnik, v., "Sur quelques Platysmatini de la faune Australienne," Revue 

 Eusse d'Eutomol. xiv. 1914, no. 4, p. 421. 



I Sloane, Th., "Studies in Australian Entomology, no. I.," Proc. Linn. Soc.New 

 South Wales, 1889, p. 508. 



§ Sloane, Th., op. cit. p. 508. 



II Chaudoii', " Suppl(5ment a I'essai sur les Feronies de I'Australie," Ann. Mus. 

 Civ. Stor. Natur. di Genova, vi. 1874, p. 595. 



^ Sloane, Th., op. cit. p. 502. 



** Chaudoir, " Essai sur les Feronies de I'Australie et de la Nouvellc-Zelaude," 

 Bull. Soc. Imper. Natur. de Moscou, 1865, no. 3, p. 98. 



