Notes on Australian Coleoptera. 31 
Cicindela proper is also numerously represented on the 
eastern coast. Upsilon being very common in most parts of 
New South Wales; but all at once going south, this family 
of insects disappears, and never to my knowledge has a single 
specimen been found in Victoria, Tasmania, South Aus- 
tralia, nor in the southern parts of Western Australia. 
The mild and even warm temperature of most of these 
regions affords no possible explanation to this singular 
phenomena, which has nothing to do with the isothermal 
lines, as the insects I mention are very common all over 
New Zealand, even in its most southern parts. 
The genus Megacephala, represented till this day by one 
single species, described lately by Mr. MacLeay, junr., in 
the “Transactions of the Entomological Society of Sydney,” 
under the specific name of Cilindrica, was first brought by © 
Major Mitchell from Peak Downs, in the western part of 
Queensland. Since, Mr. Howitt met with it on Cooper’s 
Creek, during his expedition to relieve Burke and Wills. 
Of the three specimens he brought back, and which are in 
the possession of his uncle, Dr. G. Howitt, a most learned 
entomologist, who has a better knowledge of Australian 
insects than any other living man, one is remarkable by 
its fine blue colour. 
Lately, Mr. Hubert, who was sent by Dr. Howitt and my- 
self in the interior, found also one specimen of this beautiful 
beetle on the Paroo River; it forms part of my own collec- 
tion. 
I have here to describe a:second Australian species of 
Megacephala, also found by My. Howitt on Cooper's Creek ; 
two specimens were taken, one is in Dr. Howitt’s collection 
and the other in mine, through the generosity of the latter 
gentleman, to whom I dedicate it. 
Megacephala Howittii : length 7’, breadth 3’; of a rather 
dark metallic green, with the buccal parts, the base of 
antennee, lees and last two segments of the abdomen of a 
light yellowish brown ; the head is broad and transverse, 
with two impressions between the eyes; thorax almost 
square, with a longitudinal sulcate in the middle and a 
transverse one in front and backwards ; the elytra are short, 
of an oval form, covered with deep punctures on their 
anterior part, and extending to a little more than the third 
of their length ; they are absolete on the remaining portion 
of the surface. The inferior parts of the body are green, 
with the middle of the abdomen black; this last colour 
