New Australian Coleo'ptera. 133 



Head, moderate, disc coarsely punctured, punctures tending to- 

 -wards confluency; mandibles strong, coarsely punctured on their 

 lateral declivities; antennae reaching apical third of elytra, joint 

 1 over-reaching apical margin of prothorax, a little longer than 3, 

 3 one and one-half times longer than 4; on joint 1 the puncturation 

 is fairly close and strong, but on the other joints they become 

 increasingly more fine and sparse; internal keel of joints only traceable 

 on the two apical joints. Prothorax about one and three-quarter 

 times broader than long, depressed on disc, sides declivous, lateral 

 borders generally rounded, but crenulate or bluntly toothed, and with 

 a small slightly upturned lobe at apical angle, towards the base the 

 teeth become somewhat longer, but this is apparently variable, as it is 

 more noticeable on the left side than on the right; the depressed 

 discal area is highly polished; the puncturation which covers all the 

 surface except a spot just above the basal centre, and two large 

 spaces on either side of the discal impression, is very coarse, becoming 

 somewhat rugose at the sides; the anterior border is rather strongly 

 arched inwards about the middle, and the posterior is weakly mar- 

 gined. Elytra rather short, convex, wider at base than prothorax, 

 spined at sutural angles, somewhat smoothly punctured, and glossy 

 on basal half about suture, rugose elsewhere. Scutellum bluntly 

 pointed behind, sparsely punctured except on a longitudinal band on 

 basal half. Front femora coarsely granulate above, granules becoming 

 almost spinose in parts, more finely granulate beneath; intermediate 

 and posterior femora almost smooth above, undersurface of inter- 

 mediate with sparse fine granules, and of posterior with sparse 

 punctures; front tarsi much widened; front tibiae rather broadly 

 channelled down the centre of the uppersurface. 



Length, 48 mm. 



Habitat.— New South Wales: Grenfell (T. G. Sloane). 



This species seems to fall between the other two forms assigned 

 to the sub-genus Hermerius, viz., impa7\ Newm., and hmvei, Thoms. 

 I have not been able to gain access to Newman's description of impar, 

 but have had to rely upon the notes given by Lameere, who examined 

 the types at the British Museum. My species differs from impar in 

 having the third antennal joint not nearly twice the length of the 

 fourth, the internal keel of the antennal joints not rather prominent, 

 the elytra not without spines at sutural angles, and the femora not 

 rugose throughout. These distinctions, together with the possession 

 of the depressed prothoracic discal area, with its nitid smooth spaces 

 should serve to distinguish it from Newman's species. 



From howei it differs in being larger, in having the elytra not 

 graulate, the body not generally pubescent above, the third antennal 

 joint not longer than the first, nor twice the length of the fourth. 



Type in author's collection. 



For my specimen I am indebted to the kindness of my friend, Mr. 

 •T. G. Sloane, of Young, N.S.W. 



3a 



