Mem. Nat. Mus. Vict., IX, 1936. 
A NEW SPECIES OF PELOBIDIIDAE (HEMIPTERA, 
HOMOPTERA) FROM VICTORIA. 
By J. W. Evans, M.A., F.R.E.S. 
The family Peloridiiae, which comprises the whole of the 
homopteroiis series Coleorrhyncha, consists of three genera, 
Peloridium Breddin, Xenopliyes Bergroth and Ilemiodoecus 
China, The species in these genera are of considerable interest 
on account of their distribution, rarity and relationship with 
the rest of the Ilemiptera. 
Until 1932, only one species of each genus was known, 
Peloridium hammoniorurn Bredd. from Patagonia, Xeno- 
phyes eascus Berg, from New Zealand and Ilemiodoecus leai 
China from Tasmania. In addition a nymph had been re- 
corded by Bei'groth from Lord Howe Island. Their rarity 
may be j udged by the fact, that of the three genera and species, 
only five adult specimens and two nymphs were known prior 
to 1932. Nothing was known of their biology beyond the fact 
that they were forest insects. 
In May, 1932, Hacker (1932) described a new species of 
Ilemiodoecus from Queensland, which he named Ilemiodoecus 
veitcJd. At the same time he recorded the interesting fact that 
the insects collected by him (three females) were caught in a 
beating net, either from the Antarctic Beech, Feigns moorei, 
or from trees in their immediate vicinity. 
China (1932), in a discussion of the significance of the above 
record, suggested that the family is evidently arboreal in 
habits, and that it is associated with Antarctic beeches of the 
genus Nothofagus Blunie, In the same jDaper he mentioned 
that the habitat of the Tasmanian, H. leai was unknown, but 
that as a species of Nothofagus (N. cunniugJiami) occurs in 
Tasmania, it was possible that this species was associated with 
the beech. He added that if this assumed association was 
correct, the insect should eventually be discovered in Victoria, 
where N. cunninghami also occurs. 
During the past two years intensive searching on N. cun- 
ninghami for H. leai in Tasmania has failed to reveal a single 
specimen. However, recently four specimens, two males and 
two females of this species were discovered in the collection of 
the Tasmanian Museum at Hobart. These had been found by 
the late A. M. Lea at Waratah, in the North-West of the 
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