125 



Rhyparida morosa, Jac. 

 An abundant species from Brisbane to Port Darwin. 

 Specimens usually have a bluish, greenish, or purplish gloss, 

 but sometimes are slightly brassy. On an occasional specimen 

 the elytra are of a different colour to the prothorax and head. 

 From three to five of the basal joints of antennae are pale. 



Rhyparida trimaculata,^'*^) Jac. 

 PI. vi., figs. 25-27. 



This species (the type of which was from Northern Aus- 

 tralia) was described as having the antennae black (except 

 for the first five joints) and the under-side and legs nearly 

 black. 



There are before me four specimens from Cloncurry which 

 possibly represent a variety of the species, but they have the 

 antennae, under-surface, and legs (except for a feeble infus- 

 cation of the knees and parts of the tarsi) no darker than 

 the upper-surface. But as the size (4|-5J mm.) is similar to 

 that of the type (5 mm.), and the sculpture of the head and 

 prothorax, with the conspicuously trimaculate ('^'') elytra, are 

 in accordance with the description, it would be inadvisable 

 to describe them as new without knowing the typical form. 



Since the above was written I have seen (fig. 25) a 

 Macleay Museum specimen (from Port Denison) that agrees 

 with the original description and is quite evidently trimacu- 

 lata; it differs from the Cloncurry ones (in addition to the 

 differently coloured antennae, legs, and under-surface) in 

 being narrower (especially as regards the prothorax), clypeus 

 less conspicuously separated from the face, punctures in the 

 elytral rows almost disappearing posteriorly, and in several 

 minor details. Nevertheless, as it appears possible that the 

 two forms may belong to but one species, I refrain from 

 describing the Cloncurry specimens as belonging to a new 

 one. 



Rhyparida brevilineata, Jac. 



PI. vi., figs. 28 and 29. 

 The type of this species was described as having ''the 

 suture and two short stripes beyond the middle piceous." 

 This form, however, is rather rare ; on the common form the 

 stripe on the fourth (''S) interstice is as described, but that on 

 the eighth (''S) usually extends to the shoulder, sometimes with 



(43) In error originally printed himaculata. 



(44) On one of the specimens the postmedian spot on each 

 elytron is split up into two longitudinal approximate ones. 



(45) The third and seventh according to Jacoby, but he evi- 

 dently did not count the sutural interstice. 



