208 



the propygidium has two wide spots of sooty scales posteriorly, 

 and the pygidium has two feeble spots of sooty scales, with the 

 paler ones (these are stramineous instead of white) appearing 

 to form an outer ring and a median line. It is much like 

 the specimen of scute.llaris, previously commented upon, but 

 is in much better condition. I have not ventured to associate 

 the males with that species, however, as the female may not 

 belong to it, and its identity with the present one is by no 

 means certain. 



MlCROVALGUS BURSARI.E, n. Sp. 



d . Black, elytra castaneous, legs more or less reddish, 

 but the femora black or blackish. Moderately clothed with 

 white scales, seriate on elytra, denser on scutellum, propy-, 

 pygidium, and abdomen than elsewhere, and sometimes mixed 

 with a few sooty ones on pro thorax. 



Prothorax not much wider than long, sides moderately 

 rounded. Abdomen with a wide, rather shallow, longi- 

 tudinal, rather sparsely-clothed depression, each side of it 

 near, but not at apex, with a short oblique ridge. Length, 

 3-3J mm. 



9- Differs in being larger (4-4^ mm.), only the head, 

 meso-, and metasternum black, and the abdomen simple. 



Hah. — Tasmania (Australian Museum, Sydney, and F. M. 

 Littler) : West Tamar, Launceston (Aug. Simson), Mole 

 Creek, on Bursaria spinosa (A.M. Lea) ; Victoria : Dividing 

 Range (Blackburn's collection), Gisborne (H. H. D. Griffith); 

 New South Wales: Jindabyne (A. J. Coates), Jenolan 

 (J. C. Wiburd), Forest Reefs (Lea), Ben Lomond, 4,500 ft. 

 (A. J. Turner). Type, I. 98, in South Australian Museum. 



In many respects close to the following species, but with 

 the abdominal depression of the male partly clothed right 

 along the middle and each side near apex with a short oblique 

 ridge within the depression, not marking the sides of same as 

 in that species. The two ridges are very short, and often 

 appear connected together as a short curved ridge, but this is 

 due to clothing somewhat obscuring their outlines, when they 

 have a fasciculate appearance. Seen from the side the out- 

 lines of the abdomen also seem different, and the ridge appears 

 like a short fascicle projected obliquely backwards. The colours 

 and clothing of both sexes are exactly like those of many 

 specimens of castaneipennis, but the pygidium of the male is 

 not mucronate, its tip on some specimens appears to be feebly 

 longitudinally carinate, but this appearance is never very dis- 

 tinct, and disappears on abrasion. Some males from Victoria 

 have the prothorax diluted with red in parts, and one has it 

 infuscated only; they have the legs entirely red, but the 



