526 



the sides they are seen to be quite rounded off; its punctures 

 are sparser than on the head, at their densest they are 

 somewhat similar in size to those there, but where sparser 

 they are distinctly larger. The sexes are well-defined, on 

 the males the three basal joints of the front tarsi are wider 

 and much more densely clothed than on the female: and 

 its pygidium has large evenly distributed punctures ; on the 

 female the pygidium has a large, subtriangular, polished and 

 impunctate apical space. 



LlPARETRUS. 



The species of this genus are abundant in many parts of 

 Australia in spring, on the foliage and flowers of eucalypti, 

 and on the flowers of many other myrtaceous trees and shrubs, 

 but some appear to be attracted by almost any kind of flower. 



Macleay divided the genus into two sections, by the 

 antennae being nine- or eight- jointed (the club is alwavs 

 composed of three joints), but Blackburn has pointed out that 

 some species of his Section 1 are really eight- jointed), whilst 

 only three (monticola, ferrugineus, and erythro'pygus) can 

 remain in Section 2, the others belonging to Automolus (and 

 one to Cavlobius). Macleay split up Section 1 into sub- 

 sections and groups by the structure of the clypeus and the 

 clothing (or want of it) of the upper-surface, and in general 

 his divisions are natural and easy to follow. Blackburn, 

 however, considered the front tibiae and basal joint of hind 

 tarsi as (after the antennae) more important ; so far as the 

 front tibiae are concerned his divisions are easy to follow, but 

 the divisions dependent upon the hind tarsi are often unsatis- 

 factory (in particular Groups 5, 6, and 7), and probably had 

 he attached higher importance to the clypeus a more satis- 

 factory arrangement would have been prepared. By either 

 system species apparently very closely allied are often widely 

 separated, and, also by either system, a slight amount of 

 abrasion may cause specimens of many species to be referred 

 to groups or subsections other than their correct ones. 



Many species strongly resemble others from which they 

 are distinguished by unmistakably salient features of the 

 antennae and front tibiae, so that superficial comparisons are 

 not to be altogether relied upon, and in every instance it 

 appears desirable to count the joints of the antennae; not 

 always an easy process ; Blackburn, himself, although paying 

 very careful attention to the antennae, was deceived in at 

 least one instance (see notes under nigriclavus ) . Many species 

 vary in the colour of the elytra from red to black, the 

 pygidium and propygidium also so vary, but less frequently 

 than the elytra. 



