BY ARTHUR M. LEA. 203 



OXYTELUS. 



Sec.i. Head punctate and strigose. 



OXYTELUS MICROPTRRUS, n. Sp. 



(Plate xviii., fig. 4.) 



£. Moderately wide; highly polished. Deep black, elytra feebly 

 diluted with piceous and with a slight brassy gloss; front of 

 antennary tubercles, the mandibles and palpi red; femora piceous, 

 the tibiae and tarsi paler. 



Head large and wide; punctate and strigose, the punctures 

 rather small, the strigse more apparent at the sides than on disc 

 and frequently consisting of but several joined punctures. 

 Clypeus greatly depressed, almost impunctate, posteriorly semi- 

 circular.* Prothorax strongly transverse, slightly narrower than 

 head, much narrower at base than at apex, posterior angles 

 strongly rounded; not very densely or strongly punctate, although 

 the punctures are clearly defined, with a narrow median line and 

 a shallow irregular impression on each side. Elytra very small, 

 along sides almost the length of prothorax at its longest, but 

 shorter along suture; densely and coarsely punctate throughout, 

 but the punctures smaller towards scutellum than elsewhere. 

 Apical segment of abdomen narrowly excised. Length 3|, to 

 apex of elytra 1|; variation in length 3-4 mm. 



Q. Differs in having the head considerably smaller and with 

 the punctures and strigse more distinct, the prothorax much less 

 narrowed posteriorly and just perceptibly narrower than the head. 



Hob. — Hobart, Tasm. 



Very distinct from all the species known to me by the small 

 elytra (smaller even than in 0. impennis); the wings although 

 present are very minute and totally useless for flight. The head 

 of the 9 i s considerably above the average size of its sex. One 



* I have not considered it necessary to describe the proportions of the 

 joints of the antennse in this or in any of the following species of Oxytelus; 

 neither have I considered it necessary to refer to the sculpture of the upper 

 surface of the abdomen. 



