502 ON AUSTRALIAN ANTHICIDAE^ 



markings distinguish from A. inglorius, A. latus, A. luridus and A. immaculatus. 

 Some of the paler forms whose elytra are but feebly infuscated about the base 

 and with three isolated dark spots, approach some of the darker forms of A. 

 laticolUs, but they have at least some joints of the antennae dark, even in tlie 

 female. Specimens may be taken in abundance at lights. 



AXTHICUS CORDICOLLIS, n.sp. 



Of a rather dingy flavous, head and prothorax flavo-ferruginous. With 

 pale pubescence, short and depressed on head and prothorax, slightly longer and 

 less depressed on elytra; the latter in addition with numerous suberect hairs. 



Head large, hind angles and base moderately rounded, the latter not notched; 

 with densely crowded punctures. Eyes small, prominent, distant from base. 

 Antennae moderately long. Prothorax cordate, wider than long, sides strongly 

 rounded in front and strongly diminishing in width to base ; punctures as on head. 

 Elytra elongate, elliptic-ovate, shoulders completely rounded off; with rather 

 dense and sharply defined punctures of moderate size, becoming smaller pos- 

 teriorly, the interspaces with extremely minute punctures, but scarcely shagreened. 

 Intercoxal process of abdomen narrow and subacute. Legs moderately long. 

 Leng-th, 4.25 mm. 



Hab. — Western Australia: Cue (H. W. Brown). 



Evidently an apterous species, at first glance apparently belonging to 

 Formicomm, but the intercoxal process narrow and femora unarmed. The head 

 and prothorax are oiDaque, mostly owing to the density of punctures; in some 

 lights the former has a finely granulated appearance, and the latter, owing to the 

 pulsescence, appears to be finely strigose, but it is really not so. 



r E M I c Ji u s. 



By various works consulted Formicomus would appear to be distinguished 

 by the body being apterous, with humeral angles comjiletely rounded off, inter- 

 coxal process of abdomen wide and usually truncated, and hind femora strongly 

 clavate. The majority of Australian species agree with these characters, but a 

 few are winged, and these have the shoulders not completely rounded off, a few 

 have the hind femora less strongly clavate than usual, and some have the inter- 

 coxal process narrower than usual, although apparently never triangular. The 

 species are usually of large size, and usually have the hind femora dentate, or 

 the front ones of the male only. 



FORJIICOIIUS QUADEI3IACULATUS King. 



This species varies considerably in size and colour, most specimens have the 

 prothorax conspicuously reddish, the head infuscated, and the elj^tra blackish; 

 with two reddish fasciae interrupted before the suture, and clothed with white 

 pubescence. Sometimes the head is quite as pale as the prothorax; oceasionaMy 

 all parts (except the clothing) of the upper surface are blackish. King did not 

 mention the fact, which, however, is quite apparent on several specimens from 

 his collection, that the derm beneath the white elytral markings is usually red- 

 dish; but on small dark specimens the derm of the elytra is sometimes entirely 

 black; he also did not mention that the hind femora are strongly unidentate. On 

 most specimens in good condition there appears, from many directions, an oblique 

 line of whitish pubescence on each side of the prothorax, the two meeting at the 



