492 ON AUSTRALIAN ANTHICIDAE, 



A large, flat, opaque species; to the naked eye, on account of the elytral 

 markings, suggestive of a greatly enlarged form of A. myrteus, but not even 

 close to that species. Of the pale elytral fasciae the first, ending at the basal 

 third, appears to be of the nature of two isosceles triangles, fairly wide on the 

 sides and narrowed towards the suture, which they do not reach; the space be- 

 tween them and the base in consequence is widely triangular (on two specimens 

 it is of a dark dingy red) ; the second fascia is at the apical third, very feebly 

 curved, terminated before the sides and very narrowly interrupted at the suture. 

 The punctures on the under surface of the head and prothorax are even coarser 

 than on the upper surface; the elytral punctures at the base are not quite as 

 large as those on the prothorax, but they are more sharply defined. The male 

 differs from the female in having the head and prothorax smaller, abdomen 

 smaller and less evenly convex, with the apical segment shorter, and its tip in- 

 curved, the front femora . are stouter (although they are very stout in the 

 female) and the front tarsi are a trifle wider. 



AnTHICUS IMITATOR, n.sp. 



Deep shining black, two elytral fasciae, coxae and tarsi flavous, or reddish, 

 flavous. Elytra moderately clothed with short, ashen pubescence, rest of upper 

 surface more sparsely clothed. 



Head subovate, quite semicircular beyond eyes, base not notched; with fairly 

 dense and sharply defined punctures of moderate size, sparser along middle than 

 elsewhere. Eyes moderately large, medio-lateral and very prominent. Antennae 

 rather long and thin. Prothorax slightly longer than wide, sides strongly rounded 

 in front, where the width is about equal to that of head across eyes, and is i 

 twice that of base, strongly constricted near base, the constriction traceable 

 disc; punctures much as on prothorax, but more crowded and less sharply defmed 

 in sub-basal depression, median line traceable as a narrowly impressed line to- 

 wards base, as a slightly shining one towards apex. Elytra much wider than 

 prothorax, shoulders moderately rounded, sides almost parallel to near apex, 

 feebly transversely impressed near base; punctures sharply defined, rather dense, 

 but not crowded near base, becoming smaller posteriorly. Intercoxal process of 

 abdomen obtusely pointed. Lengih, 3 — 3.5 mm. 



Hab. — South Australia: Lucindale (B. A. Eeuerheerdt), Port Lincoln (Rev. 

 T. Blackburn), Kangaroo Island (J. G. ,0. Tepper) ; Western Australia : Beverley 

 (E. F. du Boulay), Swan River (A. M. Lea). 



A deep black species with elytral markings approaching those of A. myrteus, 

 although the pale fasciae occupy a smaller proportion of the elytra, but much 

 larger, prothorax longer and with more distinct punctures, and even the antennae 

 black; from A. herns, which has very similar fasciae, it differs in being smaller, 

 shining, less flat, with much smaller and more shai-ply defined punctures. In 

 general appearance it resembles some of the dark forms of A. hesperi on an en- 

 larged scale, but the shape is more elongate, the head is smaller in proportion, 

 more rounded at the base, with smaller and more prominent eyes, etc. The 

 elytral fasciae vary in size and intensity, the first ends in a straight line at the 

 basal third with its sides almost touching the base and narrowed to the suture 

 (which is not reached); as a result the black basal space is widely triangular; 

 the second fascia is post-median, narrowly interrapted at the suture and not 

 touching (sometimes rathei- distant from) the sides. The sexual differences of 

 the abdomen and legs are slight. 



