511 



fact its curiously opaque velvety appearance is very different 

 to that of any other species known to me. Of the seven 

 specimens in the Museum, one has the rami of the club rather 

 longer than on the others, but I can detect no other differences 

 likely to be sexual. There are two specimens of the species 

 from Ouyen (Victoria) in the National (Melbourne) Museum. 



Haplonycha ruficollis, n. sp. 



Reddish -castaneous; head and elytra almost black, parts 

 of abdomen deeply infuscated. Under-surface and legs with 

 dense and somewhat reddish hairs, a few similar hairs close 

 to each eye on upper-surface of head, and filling all the 

 gutters of pronotum, pygidium glabrous ; membranous fringe 

 of elytra extremely short. 



Head with crowded and somewhat irregular but not very 

 large punctures, more crowded on a convex space at base of 

 clypeus than elsewhere, and less crowded immediately behind 

 the convex space ; front face of clypeus with rather dense and 

 moderately large punctures, but setae across middle confined 

 to a single row. Antennae with third and fourth joints 

 subequal and lightly transverse, seventh-ninth forming a club. 

 Maxillary palpi with apical and antepenultimate joints of 

 equal length, and conspicuously longer than penultimate. 

 Prothorax very little more than twice as wide as the median 

 length, sides strongly and evenly rounded, front angles pro- 

 duced but not very acute, hind ones completely rounded off, 

 base strongly bisinuate with the median lobe conspicuous ; 

 punctures rather small and irregularly distributed. Elytra 

 subparallel-sided ; geminate-striae very conspicuous, the space 

 between each pair impunctate and convex, but between pair 

 and pair with numerous punctures and irregularly obliquely 

 wrinkled; suture unarmed. Pygidium shining, moderately 

 convex, with minute and rather sparse punctures. Hind 

 tibiae much shorter than usual ; basal joint of hind tarsi 

 distinctly longer than second. Length, 17-19 mm. 



Hab. — South Australia: Ooldea. Type, I. 7816. 



The setae in the middle of the front face of the clypeus 

 are in a regular row, but as it was upon the punctures that 

 Blackburn founded his sixth and seventh groups, this species 

 must be referred to Group 6, where it can only be associated 

 with clara, from which it differs strikingly in colour, in being 

 more parallel-sided, prothorax less transverse and with 

 smaller punctures, and the legs considerably shorter and 

 stouter. The clothing of the hind margins of the pronotum 

 is more pronounced than is usual on species other than of 

 Group 2. The general appearance of the insect is much like 



