[Proc. E,ot. Soc. Victoria, 35 (N.S.), Pt. II., 1923.] 



Art. XI. — New Australian Coleoptera, with Notes on 

 some previously described species. Fart 2-. 



By F. ERASMUS WILSON. 



[Read 10th August, 1922.] 



PSELAPHIDAE. 



Genus Rybaxis. 



M. Raffray dealing with this genus in Junk's catalogue, after 

 having transferred electrica, King, and lunatica, King, to Anahaxis^ 

 records nineteen species from Australia. Mr. A. M. Lea has described 

 a further sixteen species bringing the total up to thirty-five. These, 

 together with the five new species here dealt with, make the genus 

 the third largest of the family in Australia. Having recently had 

 occasion to prepare an up to date catalogue of the Pselaphidae, I find 

 that we have, including my new forms, a grand total of 403 species. 



The following three new species are all allied to strigicollis^ 

 Westw, They belong to Raffray's first group of the genus, i i.e., in 

 which the transverse prothoracic furrow is well defined, and the 

 median fovea very small or wanting. They are distinguished from 

 all other Australian species of this group except strif/icoZZis, by their 

 curious prothoracic sculpture. ^ Westwood, in describing strigicollis, 

 refers to this sculpture as striolate. It consists of very distinct, 

 irregularly longitudinal ridges, frequently running into each other, 

 and thus forming enclosed areas, these being usually more noticeable 

 anteriorly. The above form of sculpture is referred to as strigose 

 in the following descriptions. 



Rybaxis strigicephalus, n.sp. 



(^ Dark castaneous, appendages and portion of elytra slightly 

 paler. Upper surface clothed with minute pale pubescence, antennae 

 and undersurface with longer pale pubescence. 



Head large, slightly longer than wide, lightly narrowed before 

 «yes, somewhat flattened on disc, declivous on sides and between 

 antennae, sides incised about middle for the reception of eyes, these 

 rather prominent, apical three-fourths coarsely longitudinally strigose, 

 basal fourth with a few large punctures particularly at sides, with an 

 obscure fovea on either side of middle at about basal fourth; antennae 

 somewhat slender, joint 1 subcylindric, viewed from above wider 

 than, and about twice as long as 2, 3 and 4, subequal, narrower than 



1. Trans. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 1900, Part II., p. 149. 



24 



