251 



The antennae, from some directions, appear to be lightly 

 curved near the apex. All the specimens were taken from 

 nests of a small blackish Iridomyrmex, with a metallic- 

 greenish gloss. 



Articerus cremastogastri, n. sp. 



d" . Bright reddish-castaneous. Moderately clothed with 

 pale depressed pubescence, upper-surface of abdomen rather 

 sparsely pubescent, but in addition with numerous suberect 

 setae, each side near base with a distinct fascicle; under- 

 surface more uniformly clothed. 



Head rather short, median line lightly impressed ; with 

 crowded punctures, but becoming smaller and sparser in 

 front. Antennae moderately long, circular in cross-section, 

 rather strongly and suddenly curved about middle ; thin at 

 base, almost evenly dilated to apex. Prothorax feebly trans- 

 verse, front angles rounded off ; with a rather large and deep 

 medio-basal fovea, continued as a rather shallow median line 

 almost to apex; punctures dense and comparatively coarse, 

 becoming smaller and sparser in front. Elytra moderately 

 dilated to apex, subsutural striae rather feeble; punctures 

 small and not very dense, becoming denser at base. Upper- 

 surface of abdomen with a large basal excavation, its middle 

 not semicircularly encroaching upon the convex median por- 

 tion, but with an oblique impression on each side ; under- 

 surface finely strigose at base, constricted in middle. 

 Metasternum rather lightly ridged along middle, the ridge 

 terminating in a small but acute process near abdomen. Hind 

 tibiae somewhat dilated at apex, the front ones more conspicu- 

 ously so, the middle ones terminating in an acute hook. 

 Length, 2 mm. 



9 . Differs in being slightly more dilated posteriorly, 

 antennae somewhat shorter and stouter, less suddenly (but 

 almost as strongly) curved, metasternum less convex, unarmed, 

 and scarcely elevated (except at the junction) above abdomen 

 (this more strongly and evenly convex), and all tibiae simple 

 at apex. 



Hob. — Victoria: Birchip, in nests of Cremastogaster 

 laeviceps (J. C. Goudie). Type, I. 8543. 



Specimens of this species were previously < 2 ) identified by 

 me with doubts as gibbidus, but it differs from some speci- 

 mens of that species now available from Western Australia 

 (the original locality) in being more densely clothed, the 

 head somewhat shorter, the antennae strongly curved, elytra 

 with more conspicuous punctures, the metasternum differently 



(2>Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict., 1904, p. 376. 



