New Australian Goleoptera, Part 1. 37 



STAPHYLINIDAE. 

 Megalops melbournensis^ n. sp. 



Upper surface, with the exception of elytra, and the flavous 

 apex of sixth visible abdominal segment, jet black; elytra red, 

 the whole highly polished; antennae with joints 1-8 testaceous, 

 9-11 black. Femora and tibiae dark, but with their bases and 

 apices paler; tarsi and palpi flavous, mandibles becoming paler 

 at their apices. Under surface with mouth parts, gular, a bor- 

 der around metasternum, and trochanters testaceous, the rest 

 black, and the whole nitid. 



Head subtriangularly produced in front, with very large 

 foveate punctures, except at apical margin and on disc; eyes 

 finely faceted; antennae with joint 1 cylindric, thick, 2 thinner 

 and nearly equal to the three following combined, 3-8 monoli- 

 form, 8 somewhat longer than the preceding one, 9-11 forming 

 a very conspicuous club, joints 1-8 with a few setae, 9-11 rather 

 strongly pubescent. Prothorax about as long as broad, sides 

 produced into a blunt tooth just above basal half, and again 

 between that point and apex, strongly convex, with irregular 

 punctures as on head, punctures tending to arrange themselves 

 in circular series ; unpunctured spaces somewhat raised. 

 Scutellum small, truncate behind, with two large foveate de- 

 pressions in middle. Elytra about the length of prothorax, sub- 

 suiural striae well defined, disc of each elytron with two wide, 

 deep, obscurely punctate striae, which neither attain the base nor 

 apex of elytra ; midway between these and the lateral border 

 are a few large irregular punctures arranged longitudinally; 

 nerir apex of each elytron at sutural angle are a few irregular 

 indistinct striae. Abdomen narrower than elytra ; arranged 

 across basal halves of each segment are a series of large shallow 

 depressions, these becoming less distinct on apical segments ; 

 apical declivity of each segment with several transverse rows of 

 fine lines; lateral margins of abdomen with sparse decumbent 

 pubescence. Under surface with prosternum punctured as on 

 pronotum, metasternum with a few smaller setigerous punctures 

 on disc only, abdominal segments with somewhat similar punc- 

 tures arranged transversely. 



l^ength, 3.75 mm. 



Habitat. — Victoria: Melbourne (F. E. Wilson and Ejnar 

 Fischer), Noble Park, Preston (F. E. Wilson). 



