246 



the elytra the hairs are fairly numerous, but mostly arise from 

 the sides of the striae, on the margins they are denser, on the 

 pygidium the depressed hairs are rather less dense than on the 

 scutellum, and there is a marginal fringe of long ones; on the 

 under-surface and legs the hairs are long, rather dense and 

 erect. The humeral callosities are almost impunctate. The 

 feebly incurved apex of lower lip, ten-jointed antennae, pro- 

 cesses between front and middle coxae and clothed (although 

 not scaly) body, indicate that this species also belongs to 

 Mimadoretus or is extremely close to it, despite the tridentate 

 front tibiae, of which, however, the tooth nearest the base is 

 due more to the emargination between it and the second one, 

 than to a projecting part of the tibia itself ; they certainly do 

 not belong to Mimela. On the present species the two joints 

 before the club are so close together that from some directions 

 the antennae appear to be composed of but nine joints. 



Adoretus, Cast., Hist. Nat. Col., ii., p. 142; 

 Lacord., iii., p. 380. 



This genus apparently has not been previously recorded 

 from Australia, it may be readily distinguished from all 

 other Australian genera of Rutelides by the labrum being 

 produced in a curved process, usually with crenulated sides, 

 over the labrum. The general appearance of the species des- 

 cribed below is like some Melolont hides allied to Heteronyx 

 with unusually large eyes. 



Adoretus melvillensis, n. sp. 

 PI. xxvii., fig. 78. 

 (5 . Smoky-brown, head darker between eyes, parts of 

 elytra, and most of legs and antennae somewhat flavous. 

 Evenly but not very densely clothed with depressed whitish 

 pubescence, becoming longer on pygidium, parts of under- 

 surface and legs ; a dense and somewhat golden fringe on 

 clypeus. 



Head wide and moderately convex; with rather dense, 

 shallow, and frequently transversely-confluent punctures. 

 Clypeus semicircular, margins strongly elevated ; punctures 

 subgranulate, and more sharply defined than on rest of head. 

 Eyes very large. Labrum with numerous, small acute 

 granules, sides of its produced part black and crenulate. 

 Protlwrax more than thrice as wide as long, sides gently 

 rounded and finely serrated ; punctures much as on head 

 between eyes. Elytra very little wider than prothorax, each 

 with four discal costae, the first and second extending from 

 base to near apex, the third shorter, the fourth (near the 

 margin) still shorter, punctures of moderate size but shallow, 



