166 



Notes on Some miscellaneous Coleoptera, with 

 Descriptions of New species. -Part v. 



By Arthur M. Lea, F.E.S., Museum Entomologist. 



[Contribution from the South Australian Museum.] 



[Read September, 12, 1919.] 



Plates XXV. to XXVII. 



Many interesting ants'-nest species are recorded in the 

 present part, this being especially due to the efforts of Mr. J. 

 S. Clark, in Western Australia, and Mr. F. Erasmus Wilson, 

 in Victoria; others were also received from Messrs. W. and E. 

 F. du Boulay (sons of the late F. du Boulay), from New South 

 Wales and Western Australia; E. H. Zeck, New South Wales; 

 H. W. Brown, Western Australia; R. J. Burton, A. H. 

 Elston, and B. A. Feuerheerdt, South Australia; and F. P. 

 Dodd and H. Hacker, Queensland. 



Mr. Clark paid much attention to nests of the common 

 twig-mount ant, Iridomyrmex conifera, Forel , 0-) which builds 

 mounds of small leaves and twigs that may often be fired. 

 Shortly after he began the examination of the nests he wrote 

 of them : — "To date I have taken home fourteen nests, ants 

 and all, and have very carefully sieved the lot. I cannot 

 tell you all I have found, but I have 16 specimens of 

 Cryptodus, 28 Articerus, 7 Scydmaenidae, 2 Ptinidae, 2 (?). 

 I feel very pleased so far, as all the specimens, except Crypto- 

 dus, are quite new to me. I have also examined carefully 

 six deserted nests of the same ants, but, except the Cryptodus, 

 have found nothing. With this nest I find little in the top, 

 or mound part of the twigs ; I lift it right off, and drop it into 

 a bag, then dig the ground out a foot deep into other bags, 

 and number all the same, and I find that most of the beetles, 

 etc., are on the top of the ground just under the twigs, and 

 extending not more than three inches underground." Mr. 

 Clark subsequently examined many other nests of the species, 

 and found in them many other true inquilines, some of which 

 are here recorded; but he also obtained other specimens that 

 are certainly not true inquilines, his thorough method of 

 search rendering it probable that some of the specimens taken 

 in the nests were victims of the ants ; nevertheless, it is desir- 

 able to put on record the names of such specimens. Recently 

 he wrote: — "I was sieving twig-mound nests most of the 



(i) Name received from Prof. Wheeler. 



