88 



Laius intricatus, n. sp. 



S . Black, in parts with a greenish or bluish gloss ; 

 elytra bright red, with purple markings, suture black, all 

 margins of prothorax, parts of muzzle, and parts of basal 

 joints of antennae reddish. With sparse, ashen pubescence, 

 and erect, brownish hairs. 



Head densely granulate-punctate. Antennae with first 

 joint dilated and irregular at apex, apparent second large, 

 lower-surface gently convex ,and lopsided, upper-surface 

 with a large excavation near base, and a semi-double one 

 near apex, following joints more or less distinctly serrated, 

 apical one almost twice as long as the preceding one. 

 Prothorax almost twice as wide as long, sides evenly rounded, 

 irregularly depressed near base; margins with irregular 

 punctures, small and sparse elsewhere. Elytra almost 

 parallel-sided to near apex, sides and suture thickened: with 

 crowded but sharply defined punctures in middle, becoming 

 sparser about base and apex. Second joint of front tarsi 

 rather large, lopsided, with a black outer comb. Length 

 (d , $), 4*5-5 mm. 



$ . Differs in having the head smaller, with smaller 

 punctures, basal joints of antennae entirely pale, the first 

 about as long as in the male but only about half as thick 

 at apex, the apparent second simple, about as long as two 

 following combined, and second joint of front tarsi much 

 the same as third. 



Rah. — South Australia: Port Broughton (A. M. Lea), 

 Fowler Bay (C. French). Type male, I. 11881, in South 

 Australian Museum; type female, in National Museum. 



A curiously marked species. The red of the elytra is 

 brighter but otherwise almost as in Nov ins cardinal! s : the 

 purple part on each elytron is directed backwards from the 

 shoulder, on the inner side curves round to the suture at 

 the basal third, from the main portion is continued and at 

 the apical third is directed on one side to the margin, along 

 which it continues for a short distance, on the other side it 

 turns round to meet a large, somewhat diamond-shaped 

 mark on the suture, as a result (combined with the black 

 suture) there are four isolated red patches on each elytron : 

 a round one near the scutellum, an irregularly four-sided 

 medio-sutural one, a large irregular apical one, and a narrow 

 lateral strip on the basal half; the large dark part of the 

 pronotum is gently incurved to the middle in front, dilated 

 on each side, and bilobed at base. 



