209 



abdomen and pygidium are normally dark. One male, how- 

 ever, is coloured exactly as are normal females. In the female 

 the prothorax is sometimes rather deeply infuscated, although 

 never black, but it usually is no darker than the elytra. The 

 legs of both sexes are sometimes entirely red, but in the male 

 the femora are nearly always black, the difference in colour 

 between the femora and tibise, however, is seldom very pro- 

 nounced. It is the only member of the subfamily known to 

 occur in Tasmania. 



MlCROVALGUS VAGANS, n. Sp. 



PL xiii., figs. 191, 192. 



d . Black, elytra of a rather dingy red, usually with the 

 sides infuscated. Rather densely clothed with white or whitish 

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

 pygidium, abdomen (except in fovea) and sides of sterna than 

 elsewhere. 



Prothorax almost as long as wide, sides feebly rounded. 

 Abdomen with a conspicuous fovea on apical segment. 

 Length, 2J-2f mm. 



Hab. — Queensland: Dalby (Mrs. Hobler), Brisbane 

 (Macleay Museum), North Queensland (Blackburn's collec- 

 tion); New South Wales: Jenolan (J. C. Wiburd), Blue 

 Mountains (H. W. Cox), Sydney (A. J. Coates), Galston (D. 

 Dumbrell & Sons), Tamworth, Wollongong, National Park, 

 Lawson, Queanbeyan (A. M. 'Lea). Type, I. 766, in South 

 Australian Museum. 



The colour and clothing are exactly as in many specimens 

 of castaneipennis , but readily distinguished from that species 

 by the absence of a mucro to the pygidium, and by the 

 abdomen. The latter is depressed throughout the middle of 

 its length, but the apical segment has a wide median glabrous 

 excavation (in consequence appearing black), abruptly ter- 

 minated at its base, with the sides parallel for some distance, 

 and then margined by oblique ridges to the middle of the 

 apex, which is strongly incurved. Seen from the side each 

 ridge at its commencement appears to be supplied with a few 

 scales or a feeble fascicle, but these are not always present, 

 probably on account of abrasion. On an occasional specimen 

 there is a vague suggestion of a tip to the pygidium, but when 

 viewed from the side it disappears, whereas in castaneipennis 

 it is very distinct from the side. 



Although there are sixty-six males of the species before 

 me, I can find no features by which females may be dis- 

 tinguished from females of castaneipennis, of the preceding, 

 or of the three following species. 



