406 



long and somewhat thin, lightly curved. Antennae rather 

 tliin, inserted nearer apex than base of rostrum; two basal 

 joints of funicle elongate; club ovate. Prothorax trans- 

 verse, sides rounded, apex produced. Scutellum small or 

 absent. Elytra subovate, base trisinuate. Pectoral canal deep 

 and moderately wide, terminated between middle coxge. Meso- 

 sternal receptacle with narrow U-shaped walls; slightly 

 cavernous. Metasternum very short, but episterna traceable 

 throughout. Ahdomen large, intercoxal process wide, two 

 basal segments large, the suture between them incurved to 

 middle. Legs rather thin but not very long; femora neither 

 grooved nor dentate, hind pair not extending to apical seg- 

 ment ; tibiae straight, except at extreme base. Densely 

 squamose, fasciculate, apterous. 



The genus is rather close to Exithius, but distinguished 

 therefrom by the thin and U-shaped mesosternal receptacle, 

 metasternal episterna traceable throughout, convex forehead 

 and femora neither grooved nor dentate. The mesosternal 

 receptacle is almost open, but as the wall at its extreme base 

 slightly overlaps the canal it must be regarded as cavernous. 

 The three known species are all Tasmanian. 



Scutellum present scutellaris 



Scutellum absent, or very indistinct. 



Largest fascicles near base of elytra ... ... corticalis 



Largest fascicles near summit of posterior 



declivity suhapicalis 



Tapinocis corticalis, n. sp. 



d . Black ; antennae and tarsi reddish. Densely clothed 

 with muddy-grey scales ; with some darker, stout, erect ones 

 scattered about, and in places condensed into fascicles. 

 Under- surf ace setose. 



Head with very dense concealed punctures. Rostrum 

 fully the length of prothorax, sides lightly incurved to middle, 

 base wider than apex ; basal two-thirds with coarse concealed 

 punctures, apical third with smaller and mostly-exposed ones. 

 Prothorax moderately transverse, sides strongly rounded, apex 

 more than half the width of base ; with dense, round, concealed 

 punctures. Scutellum not traceable. Elytra ovate-cordate, 

 sides gently rounded ; with rows of large and usually some- 

 what angular, but normally almost concealed, punctures ; with 

 a few small granules (sometimes concealed) on suture near 

 base. Under-surface with dense setiferous punctures, larger 

 on metasternum than elsewhere, and forming a single row 

 across each of the third and fourth abdominal segments. 

 Length, 4-5J mm. 



9 • Differs in having the rostrum distinctly longer and 

 thinner, basal fifth only with concealed punctures, the surface 



