225 



of the elytra is also much finer, and the subgeminate arrange- 

 ment of punctures, although feeble, is more regular. 



Frenchella gagatina, n. sp. 

 PI. xxvi., fig. 64. 



Black, highly polished; parts of antennae and of palpi 

 reddish. Upper-surface glabrous, except for fringes of dark 

 hairs on the prothorax and elytra ; under-surface and legs 

 with blackish hairs, denser on metasternum than elsewhere. 



Head with dense (but not crowded) and sharply-defined 

 punctures of moderate size between eyes. Clypeus with suture 

 gently sinuous; punctures (except in front) crowded and 

 slightly larger than those between eyes. Antennae nine-, club 

 three-jointed and rather small. Prothorax about twice as 

 wide as long, sides strongly rounded in middle, front angles 

 produced and acute, hind ones obtuse but not rounded off; 

 punctures about as large as those between eyes, but sparser and 

 becoming smaller on sides. Scutellum impunctate on apical 

 half. Elytra slightly dilated to beyond the middle, apex 

 gently rounded ; each with ten well-defined striae containing 

 numerous punctures, these of varying sizes but mostly fairly 

 large; interstices with a few distinct punctures. Pygidium 

 in parts with sharply-defined punctures. Front tibiae 

 tridentate, the two front teeth large, the other very small. 

 Length, 12"5 mm. 



Hab. — Western Australia: Cue (H. W. Brown). Type 

 (unique), I. 4780. 



As the club is rather small the type is probably a female ; 

 the median line of its pronotum is vaguely impressed on the 

 apical third, and represented by an impunctate line from there 

 to the base. The hind angles of the prothorax are sharply 

 defined, although they are rather more than right angles, but 

 this is the case with other species that Blackburn referred to 

 B of his table, "Hind angles of prothorax sharply defined," 

 from some directions, however, they appear to be quite sharply 

 acute; by that table the species would be associated with 

 sparsiceps, which is a narrower and paler species, with much 

 sparser punctures between eyes, etc. It is darker and more 

 strongly convex than any previously-described species, in 

 appearance closer to some dark specimens of Jubrica than to 

 any other, but differing by the absence of punctures from the 

 greater portion of the elytral interstices, clypeus much less 

 upturned in front, and front tibiae apparently bidentate at 

 first glance, the third tooth being very feeble and nearer the 

 base than in other species. 

 I 



