278 



two females are now in the Museum, and they appear to belong 

 to but one species ; the great differences in the colours of the 

 sexes are far from unique in the subfamily. 



COLASPOSOMA SELLATUM, Baly. 



PI. vii., fig. 99. 



This species occurs in abundance in many of the tropical 

 parts of Australia. The commonest form is of a bright-green 

 with a more or less brassy gloss in places, but it varies to 

 golden-red, brassy, bronzy, blue, and purple. 



COLASPOIDES. 



This genus, of almost world-wide distribution, is unsatis- 

 factorily close to many others (Terillus, Geloptera, Clejjtor, 

 etc.), and it is extremely probable that exception will be taken 

 to the inclusion of several species here referred to it. The 

 main characters of the genus, as regarded by Lefevre in his 

 table, and in the generic diagnosis, are as follows: — "Upper- 

 surface glabrous. Eyes notched. '^^^ Prothorax with sides 

 margined. Elytra not conspicuously transversely rugose. 

 Prosternal episterna convex in front. Four hind tibiae not 

 notched near outer apex. Claws appendiculate." The species 

 that I here refer to the genus all agree in these characters, 

 except that the prosternal episterna are not always convex in 

 front, and that the elytral punctures are sometimes trans- 

 versely confluent. On some specimens also the sides of the 

 prothorax are very feebly undulated, but certainly not dentate. 

 They all have the tibiae more or less conspicuously longitudin- 

 ally canaliculate. Lefevre regarded it as including species 

 with dentate and others with edentate femora. On most species 

 of the genus the abdomen of the male appears to have six 

 segments, owing to the intrusion of the pygidium. The deep 

 median sulcus of the latter, that appears to be invariably 

 present on members of the subfamily, often appears like a 

 notch to the tip of the abdomen ; this is especially conspicuous 

 on pirfipes. For purposes of classification I am regarding the 

 genus as comprising three divisions : — 



Div. 1. — Femora edentate. 



Div. 2. — Front femora dentate. Sides of prothorax evenly 

 rounded in middle. 



Biv. 3. — Front femora dentate. Sides of prothorax feebly 

 undulated in middle. 



(88) Blackburn (Ante, 1900, p. 168) wrote, '''I can really find no 

 veiw marked character to distinguish Cleptor from Colaspoides, 

 except in its eyes being almost without sinuation." 



