178 



DlAPHONIA SUCCINEA, Hope. 



PI. xii., figs. 135, 136. 



The type of this species was described as having two 

 black spots on the middle of the prothprax. Subsequently 

 Westwood gave a note and figures from the male in the Hope 

 collection ; one of his figures shows two almost circular spots 

 on the prothorax towards the base. 



I have seen but one specimen agreeing with the descrip- 

 tion, and that one has the spots of somewhat different shape 

 (fig. 136) to that of the type. A specimen in the National 

 Museum, Melbourne (fig. 135) has a large, angular, black blotch 

 occupying most of the surface ; but eleven others before me have 

 the prothorax immaculate. On fresh specimens the pro- 

 thorax is usually slightly paler at the sides than on the disc. 

 But on old ones the whole of the upper-surface (except for 

 a narrow black basal edging of the prothorax) has a tendency 

 to become reddish-castaneous. The sides of the metasternum 

 and of the abdomen are occasionally black, or stained with 

 black. The size varies from 19 to 25 mm. 



The female differs from the male in being wider, post- 

 humeral incurvature less pronounced, pygidium more trans- 

 verse, abdomen evenly convex instead of with a very wide de- 

 pression, legs distinctly shorter and front tibiae strongly tri- 

 dent ate. 



DlAPHONIA (?) NEGLECTA, Thoms. 



Although referred to Eupcecila by Thomson, and stand- 

 ing under that name in Masters' Catalogue, it is quite evident 

 that this species does not belong to that genus, as he says it is 

 generally confounded with cincta and breweriM 1 ) The elytra 

 also are apparently uniformly pale (at any rate, their colour 

 is not specially mentioned, that of the upper-surface being 

 "praecipue testacea"). To judge from the description it is an 

 insect apparently resembling some varieties of Ablacopus 

 trapezifer, Diaphonia xanthopyga, or D. dorsalis. To gen- 

 erically transfer a species without actually knowing it is 

 seldom advisable, but the description of this species makes it 

 quite certain that it is not a Eiipcecila, and that it probably 

 is a Diaphonia, or one of the numerous so-called genera allied 

 to same. 



Diaphonia deyrollei, Thoms. 



Referred by Thomson to Eiipcecila, but by Kraatz to 

 Lyraphora, and so placed in Masters' Catalogue. If the 

 markings are constant it should be an easily recognizable 



(37) A somewhat curious statement, as the pygidium is described 

 as having "deux taches transversales obliques d'un jaune orange" ; 

 whereas the pygidium of those species is invariably entirely black. 



