454 



margin of the prothorax. There is a feeble elevated medio- 

 basal carina on the scutellum; but it is concealed, unless the 

 prothorax is slightly in advance of its usual position. The 

 striation is rather feeble, and its geminate arrangement is 

 nowhere pronounced. Five specimens were obtained, all 

 apparently males. 



Rhizobius noctuabunduS; n. sp. 



Of a pale and rather dingy reddish-castaneous ; elytra 

 with more or less conspicuous markings, and with or without 

 a metallic gloss. Closely covered with short, depressed, uniform 

 greyish pubescence. 



Head with fairly distinct punctures; eyes large and 

 partially concealed. Prothorax about thrice as wide as long, 

 front angles rounded, the hind ones almost rectangular, punc- 

 tures as on head. Elytra oblong-ovate, outlines sub- 

 continuous with those of prothorax, punctures not very large 

 but rather sharply defined. Under -surf ace with fairly dis- 

 tinct punctures, more sharply defined on hind coxae than else- 

 where. Length, 2J-2J- mm. 



Hah. — Hamilton Bore to Oodnadatta. Also occurs at 

 Oodnadatta and Farina (Blackburn's collection), Murray- 

 River (H. S. Cope), and at Cunnamulla, in Queensland (H. 

 Hardcastle). Type, I. 3439, in South Australian Museum. 



An oval species, in size and general appearance fairly 

 close to insipidus, but colour and clothing different. In 

 Blackburn's table of the genus (12 ) it is difficult to be placed 

 on account of the variability of its elytral markings. 

 If placed in C (of BB) it might be associated with 

 ccecus ( 13) ; if placed in CC with ornatipennis or 

 insipidus, all of which have more or less conspicuous 

 setae amongst the depressed clothing. From Iceticulusr 

 its larger size and uniformly pale under-surface will readily 

 distinguish it. On the palest specimens the only dark parts 

 of the elytra are the suture, and a more or less conspicuous 

 infuscate cloud on each side of the base. On the darkest ones 

 the dark parts (these are piceous, with a more or less con- 

 spicuous greenish gloss) are so extended that only the 

 shoulders and a curved space from each to the apex (inclined 

 towards but not touching the suture) are of a dingy-red. On 

 some specimens the dark parts appear as three large blotches 

 — one about middle of base (usually including the scutellum) 

 and one on each side. It is attracted to lights in abundance. 



(12) Trans. Roy. Soc, S.A., 1892, pp. 257-9. 



(13) Although ccecus was tabled as having "Prothorax scarcely 

 distinctly punctulate," on some co-types the punctures are fairly 

 distinct; quite as much as on the present species. 



