150 



the elytral epipleurae and parts of the under-surface are very 

 obscurely diluted with red. 



Rhyparida decipiens, n. sp. 

 PL vii., fig. 98. 



Black; jDarts of head, of under-surface, and of appendages 

 more or less obscurely diluted with red, palpi paler. 



Head with fairly dense but rather small punctures, 

 becoming coarser and more irregular on clypeus ; with a short, 

 medio-frontal impression. Eyes large, separation slightly 

 more than the transverse diameter of an eye. Froth or ax 

 about twice as wide as the median length, angles acutely 

 armed ; with fairly dense but not very large punctures, becoming 

 larger towards sides. Elytra, distinctly wider than prothorax, 

 shoulders prominent ; with rows of rather large punctures, 

 becoming slightly smaller posteriorly ; interstices with numer- 

 ous minute punctures, and in places with a few large ones. 

 Flanks of 'prosternuTn with some feeble striae about base and 

 near coxae. Femora edentate; claws almost simple. Length, 

 7I-8J mm. 



Hah. — Queensland: Coen River; North-western Austra- 

 lia: Derby (W. D, Dodd), King Sound (Blackburn's collec- 

 tion) ; Northern Territory: Adelaide River (British Museum). 

 Type, I. 3065. 



In appearance close to the preceding species, but the eyes 

 considerably larger, punctures distinctly larger, and the claws 

 very different. On the present species each claw-joint is ter- 

 minated by two claws, at first sight appearing simple, but 

 really each with a feeble appendix ; on the preceding species 

 each claw-joint is terminated by four distinct claws, of which, 

 however, the median ones are much smaller than the others. 

 The elytral punctures and striae readily distinguish from the 

 black variety of cliwidiata. The eyes are almost as large and 

 the prothoracic punctures are almost as coarse as on punctu- 

 lata : but the edentate femora will distinguish from the black 

 variety of that species. On several of the interstices (but on 

 all the specimens before me always on the second, fourth, and 

 sixth) there are some very large punctures, quite as large as 

 in the adjacent rows, and by this character alone the species 

 may be readily distinguished from all the other black Aus- 

 tralian species of the genus. The labrum, basal joints of 

 antennae, and the palpi are not dark on any of the specimens 

 before me, but except for these no parts are conspicuously pale, 

 and at first glance the whole insect appears to be deep black. 

 On two specimens the medio-frontal impression is connected 

 with the base of the head by a feebly elevated line; on two 

 others by an impunctate, but not elevated, line. 



