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this species. It is quite clear to me that Spinola did not identify 

 it correctly, and I should say that in all probability Newman 

 himself mixed two species under the name. Newman's very brief 

 description mentions only one character that is of real value in 

 determining what insect he had before him, viz., " protibiae 

 subtus testaceae." Trivial as this character might seem I have 

 examined sufficiently long series of several Aulici to enable me 

 to say that it is of great value. To this clue may be added 

 another in the fact that almost all the Cleridm described by 

 Newman are Victorian species, and still another in the size (long., 

 -j^. of an inch) being stated. Now I have taken somewhat plenti- 

 fully in Victoria two species of Aulicus whose front tibiae are 

 invariably black (or dark piceous) on their upper surface and 

 testaceous beneath, the two colours being in quite abrupt and 

 conspicuous contrast. My opinion is that Newman had both 

 these insects before him and did not observe their specific differ- 

 ence. One of them is about of the size Newman quotes, and 

 of deep violet blue colour with elongate antennae, — the other 

 is decidedly smaller and of a bright green colour with shorter 

 antennae. Newman says " Colore iustabilis, nunc viridis, nunc 

 violaceus" and mentions no other character that is not generic 

 except the peculiar colouring of the front legs. As the size given 

 is that of the larger insect just referred to I feel little doubt of 

 its having been that on which the species instabilis was founded 

 and conjecture that either Newman had before him also a green 

 variety (unknown to me) of it, or that he had before him the 

 smaller species referred to above and overlooked its specific 

 difference from the specimen on which he founded his description 

 (or at all events his measurement). 



I feel very little doubt that A. instabilis, Spinola, is a species 

 that occurs in many parts of S. Australia and even extends into 

 the S. -Eastern part of Western Australia, and is much more 

 variable in colouring than I have found the species to be which 1 

 regard as instabilis, Newm. Its front tibia are not of two 

 colours divided longitudinally, but are (as Spinola describes 

 them) wholly dark except near the apex where they have a ten- 

 dency to become testaceous. The species differs from that men- 

 tioned above as instabilis, Newm., inter alia by its shorter 

 antennae, and the considerably larger seriate punctures of its 

 elytra which moreover are well defined on a larger area of the 

 elytra (becoming obsolete only close to the base and in the 

 apical one-fourth), the ninth and tenth rows being separated by a 

 continuous distinct carina quite into the apical one-fourth of the 

 elytra. As Spinola described a colour-var. of this insect under 

 the name episcopalis, this latter may now stand as the name of 

 the species. 



