215 



Head closely and rather coarsely punctate, clypeal suture 

 straight and well marked, mandibles bifid at apex; eyes 

 widely separated ; antennae long and slender, 

 extending beyond base of prothorax ; joint 3 

 longer than 4, 5-10 gradually enlarged 

 (though all finely obconic) ; 11 of same length 

 as but more slender than 10. Prothorax 

 convex, about as wide as long, subtruncate 

 at apex and base (feebly produced in the 

 middle at apex), sides gently rounded, all 

 angles obtuse ; disc finely and closely punc- 

 tate, wtihout foveae or medial line, except a 

 slight depression at middle of base, lateral 

 margins not seen from above. Elytra wider 

 than prothorax at base and two and one-half 

 times as long; striate-punctate, with close 

 round punctures placed in fine striae, 

 intervals quite flat, each with a row of setiferous punctures 

 of the same size as those in striae. Femora robust, fore 

 tibiae with a small tooth at middle, mid-tibiae angulately 

 widened nearer apex, the hind tibiae short, curved, and 

 triangularly widened near apex. Dim. — Male, 8 x 2J mm.; 

 female, 9x3 mm. 



Hah, — South Australia: Murray River (A. H. Elston) ; 

 Tarcoola (A. M. Lea). 



Five examples examined, of which two are males, are 

 clearly distinct from described species by the tibial sex char- 

 acters shown in figure. Type male in the Author's Collection, 

 female in the South Australian Museum. 



[N.B. — As the sex characters of this species traverse the 

 slender border-line between Melaps and Aletistefe, as given 

 by me,<6^ some new distinction is necessary. It may possibly 

 be found later that these two genera merge into one, for it is 

 not easy to find distinct characters which differentiate all 

 the species of the two genera. The following combination of 

 small differences may be noted: — 

 Metistete. 



Size: Larger. 



Prothorax less strono;ly convex, 



sometimes flattened on disc, 



opaque and coarsely punctate 



Elytra in general obovate (at 



least in female) 

 E pi pleurae moderate 

 Post infercoxal process widely 

 arched 



Melaps. 



Smaller. 



Very strongly convex, never 



flattened on disc, more or less 



nitid, and finely punctate 



Narrowly ovate 



Very narrow 

 Narrowly triangular 



(6)L.c., p. 78. 



