199 



'from other localities and in which I cannot find good struc- 

 tural specific differences, may possibly be found when more 

 .specimens of both sexes can be examined to be accompanied 

 by distinctions of specific value. 



The sexual differences in Antitrogus are not very con- 

 ^spicuous except in respect of the laminae of the antennal 

 flabellum, which in the male are at least as long as — in the 

 female much shorter than — the preceding antennal joints 

 itogether, and in respect of the hind tarsi, which are more or 

 less shortened in the female. The comparatively slight differ- 

 ence in the spurs of the hind tibiae has been referred to 

 .already. 



Of the three species before me, either of two may 

 possibly be Burmeister's species, as he mentions no character 

 not found in them both, and gives no indication of locality 

 beyond "Neu-Holland." One of the two referred to is from 

 Victoria and Albury (New South Wales), the other from 

 South Australia. The fact that European collections in early 

 •days received comparatively few species from the latter locality 

 points to the probability of fche Antitrogus from Victoria, 

 etc., being tasmanicus Burm., and the conjecture is slightly 

 -strengthened by Burmeister's remark that the 3rd antennal 

 joint is "nicht verlangerte" — a phrase that might fairly be 

 ..applied to either of the two species I am discussing, but that 

 indicates the Victorian one even more strongly than the 

 mother, in which the 3rd antennal joint, though short, is 

 quite distinctly longer than the 4th joint. I presume the 

 ;name "tasmanicus" to have been given in honour of the 

 voyager Tasman. The species is assigned to Tasmania in 

 Masters' Catalogue, but, as noted above, is not so assigned 

 by the author. It may be noted here that an Antitrogus is 

 found in Tasmania, but, even disregarding the author's 

 statement of locality, is not likely to be his species, since it 

 has black antennae, and the antennae of tasmanicus are especi- 

 ally mentioned as "red-brown." 



The following tabulation indicates characters by which 

 rthe Antitrogi known to me can be distinguished: — 



.A. Joint 3 of antennae distinctly longer 



than joint 4 ... Burmeisteri, Blackb. 



AA. Joint 3 of antennae not longer than 

 joint 4. 



B. Antennae red tasmanicus, Burm. 



BB. Antenna; black nigricornis, Blackb. 



A. nigricornis, sp. nov., Mas. Subnitidus ; nigropiceus, 

 antennis nigris, pedibus et segmentis apicalibus 2 non- 

 nihil rufescentibus ; supra sat iridescens ; prothoracis 

 basi, coxis, sternisque dense fulvo-pilosis ; elytris pilis 



