532 



LlPARETRUS INSIGNIS, 11. sp. 

 PI. xxxvii., fig. 117. 



d" . Black; antennae (club excepted) of a dull-red. Head, 

 pronotum (parts of disc excepted) under-surface, hind parts, 

 and legs with long, whitish hair. 



Head with crowded and in places confluent punctures, 

 becoming larger and sparser on clypeus ; sides of the latter 

 somewhat sinuous and lightly elevated, apex more elevated, 

 truncate or almost so, and feebly or not at all produced at 

 sides. Antennae nine-jointed. Prothorax with sides strongly 

 rounded, hind angles rounded off, front ones produced and 

 acute ; with numerous (but not crowded) rather small punc- 

 tures, and with larger ones scattered about, sides with rather 

 dense punctures, surface finely shagreened. Elytra with 

 fairly large punctures, becoming smaller and denser on sides 

 and apex; geminate-striae well-defined. Hind parts shagreened 

 and with numerous rather small punctures. Front tibiae 

 strongly tridentate; front tarsi with the basal joints keeled, 

 front claws thickened at base ; two basal joints of hind tarsi 

 subequal. Length, 10|-13 mm. 



Hab. — Western Australia: Kuminin (E. F. du Boulay), 

 Cue (H. W. Brown). Type, I. 7833. 



The largest black species known to me ; of the six 

 specimens (all males) under examination two have numerous 

 hairs on the elytra, on two they are sparse and two others 

 have the elytra glabrous (except for a few hairs at the base 

 and sides), but as the four latter specimens are evidently 

 abraded, the species should be referred to Group 1. At first 

 glance the specimens resemble the preceding species, but they 

 may be at once distinguished by the front tarsi, on that 

 species the basal joint is narrow at the base and then suddenly 

 dilates forward, with the keeled inner portion scarcely half 

 the length of the outer edge ; on the present species the 

 inner edge is not suddenly dilated, is very little shorter than 

 the outer, and is more acutely keeled, the claws and the derm 

 and clothing of pronotum are also different; on all six 

 specimens the elytra are terminated by a short reddish 

 membranous fringe, of which there is not a trace (possibly 

 owing to abrasion) on the type of the preceding species. The 

 basal joint of the hind tarsi is about the length of the second 

 (certainly not longer), but from some directions it appears 

 to be slightly shorter. The clothing of the pronotum is not 

 confined to the margins, but the middle of the disc is glabrous. 

 If the elytra were regarded as glabrous, the species would be 

 referred to Group 2, all the previously described species of 

 which have reddish elvtra. 



