208 



(the infuscation occasionally extends over most of the sur- 

 face) ; in the common form of the female (including the types 

 of aphodioides) the head and prothorax are infuscated, but 

 the base of the latter is pale, the elytra are also entirely pale. 

 The sides of the elytra of the female are not notched or 

 flanged, and by this feature alone it may be readily dis- 

 tinguished from small females of ruficollis and sericeipermis. 



Cheiragra ruficollis, Macl. 

 C. piisilla, Macl., in error. 

 C. pallida, Macl., 9 . 

 PI. xxv., fig. 23. 



The original description of this species (which appears to 

 be confined to New South Wales and Victoria) is unsatisfac- 

 tory, and of the specimens standing as ruficollis in the 

 Macleay Museum, not one agrees exactly with it; of the five 

 specimens so standing two are males and three are females. 

 One of each sex has the elytra entirely dark (whereas the 

 description implies that the whole upper-surface is testaceous) 

 and the head and prothorax of a rather bright reddish-flavous ; 

 to the male I have attached a label that it is probably the 

 type ; the second male has the head and prothorax of an 

 obscure reddish-brown, the elytra testaceous with the suture 

 darker (much the colour of the prothorax), and the sides 

 widely margined with black; of the other females one has 

 the prothorax as dark as in the second male, but with all its 

 margins and a narrow line down the middle paler, it has also 

 an obscure pale vitta extending from the base to about the 

 middle of each elytron ; the third female has a wider and 

 longer vitta passing the middle of each elytron, and agreeing 

 with "The female . . . sometimes a light patch on the 

 disc of each elytron." These specimens vary from 1\ to 2 

 lines in the males, and from 2\ to 2| in the females, but were 

 described as 2 lines. 



The species is the most variable of the genus, but the 

 females may be at once distinguished by the sides of the 

 elytra, as near the apex of each there is a conspicuous notch 

 (pi. xxv., fig > 23) ; the female, as in others of the genus, 

 also differs from the male in having the prothorax shining and 

 with conspicuous punctures. 



The specimens described by Macleay as pu.sdla belong to 

 this species, whilst the types of pallida (Macleay) also belong 

 to it. The following colour forms may be noted: — 



Males. 

 Form 1. Head and prothorax of a clear reddish-flavous, 

 entire elytra and parts of under-surface and of legs blackish, 



