Chapter IX: Introduction (7)

_O. kershawi_ has the head armed with a similar horn but without the side ones on the thorax; the central ones are longer and more slender than those on the process of the previous species. _O. cuniculus_, one of our commonest species, is only about ¼ inch long; the head and thorax are bright metallic green; the central portion of the latter is produced (in the male) into a conical point; the wing covers are shining black and rugose. Another common species, _O. granulatus_, is slightly smaller; it has the dorsal surface flattened; the head and thorax dull metallic blue; and the wing covers are mottled, light chocolate brown and finely granulated; the whole insect is covered with short reddish hairs, lightest on the dorsal surface. _O. rufosignatus_, which I once took in numbers busily engaged burying a dead wallaby in N.W. Australia, is slightly over ¼ inch in length; it is black with the centre of the thorax and sides of the elytra richly blotched with red.

The members of the Genus _Bolboceras_ are even more remarkable in regard to the peculiar forms into which the head and thorax are produced in many species; most of them are reddish brown, and thickly clothed with coarse reddish hairs on the under surface. In structure they are somewhat similar to the former species. They are commonly taken at night flying to the lamp or camp fire.

_Bolboceras sloanei_ is a broad hemispherical beetle, just under 1 inch in length; the male has a great horn standing up in the middle of the head, and a shorter one on either side of the thorax, with an excavation above and below them; the female is about the same size without any appendages, and the front of the thorax is hollowed out and the hind portion very rugose. _B. proboscidium_ is common in the southern districts; it is smaller than the last species; of a darker reddish tint. The male has the front of the head produced into a lance-shaped process, standing out straight; this tapers toward the tip, which turns down like a hook, and has a short blunt spine on the upper surface. The female has a small truncate head, quite unlike the male. About 30 species were described in Masters’ Catalogue; Blackburn in his Monograph of the group lists 43 species (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1904).

The Honey Beetle, common on flowers in summer time.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

Members of the Genus _Trox_ feed chiefly on decaying animal matter, and are to be found under dead animals, and a few in caves among the accumulated dung of bats; they are curious dull brown insects, convex and rounded on the upper surface; the head is so small and retractile that it appears to be wanting. _Trox dohrni_, from Central Australia, one of our largest species, is just under 1 inch; is almost black, covered with a regular armour plate of shining black bosses and ridges all over the dorsal surface. _T. australasiae_, our common species, is about half the length, and is dull brown, with the bosses on the elytra more regular and ridged.

* * * * *

The MELOLONTHIDES are mostly small beetles with the tip of the abdomen not always covered; they feed chiefly upon the foliage of plants. The Genus _Phyllotocus_ contains about 27 described species of small reddish brown beetles with long black or yellow legs: some species are very abundant about Sydney, swarming over the flowers of native scrubs; they even come to the garden plants to feed upon the honey.

The Metallic Green Wattle Beetle. In Tasmania it damages
young apples by eating off the skin.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

_Phyllotocus macleayi_ has even been found swarming round bee-hives, probably attracted by the smell of the honey. It is a smooth, shining, yellowish brown beetle about ⅓ of an inch in length, with the apical portion of the wing covers blackened. _P. marginatus_ is smaller than the last, and of the usual dull reddish colour; the head, centre of thorax, and stripe down the centre of the wing covers black; the whole lightly clothed with fine hairs. _Diphucephala aurulenta_, typical of another group of bright, metallic coloured, broad bodied beetles, measures ¼ of an inch in length, and has the dorsal surface of a rich reddish-copper tint, thickly and coarsely punctured; the under surface and legs are deep green, clothed with fine grey hairs. It is common upon the foliage of the black wattle about Sydney. _D. rufipes_, a smaller beetle, is coppery green with reddish legs; is not uncommon about Sydney. _D. colaspidoides_, a southern species, is metallic green; the thorax smooth; the elytra deeply and thickly marked with punctured striae. _Maechidius tibialis_, representing another group, is a flattened, reddish brown beetle over ⅓ of an inch; the head is produced into two shell-like flanges in front of the eyes; the thorax is finely punctured; and the elytra ribbed, with closely punctured striae. I have found both the beetle and its larva, a soft white grub, in numbers in the open galleries of the termitaria built by our common White Ant (_Termes lacteus_) in the Shoalhaven district, N.S.W., where they seemed to live in harmony with the swarms of White Ants.

_Xylonychus eucalypti_ is a large cockchafer-like beetle about 1 inch long; it is of a delicate pale grass-green colour; its under surface and legs darker and thickly clothed with fine hairs. This beetle feeds about Sydney upon the foliage of the Swamp Mahogany (_Eucalyptus robusta_), and is not uncommon in early summer. The members of the Genus _Liparetrus_ are small, dark reddish brown, or almost black beetles, often thickly clothed with fine hairs; the wing covers are generally shorter than the abdomen. Many species swarm over the tops of the young gum trees devouring the foliage. Nearly 100 species of this extensive group have been described from Australia, chiefly by Macleay and Blackburn (Proc. Linn. Soc. of N.S. Wales, 1886–1888).

_Liparetrus marginipennis_, common about Sydney, is black; it measures under ⅓ of an inch; the elytra, except the basal edges, are dark reddish brown; the whole insect is thickly clothed with light brown hairs that form a fringe round it. _L. hispidus_ is a smaller dark brown beetle, thickly clothed with dull yellow hairs.

_Lepidoderma albo-hirtum_ is a large cockchafer; it measures 1¼ inches; all the dorsal surface of the head and thorax and both dorsal and ventral portions of abdomen are reddish brown; ventral surface of head, thorax and legs black. The whole of the upper and portion of the under surface are so thickly clothed with fine pale scales that it has a uniform grey tint. The larva, a large white grub, is a well-known pest to the Queensland sugar planters, for it eats off the roots of the growing cane; they are so numerous in some districts that as much as a shilling a pint is paid for these sugar cane grubs.

* * * * *

The RUTELIDES comprise a number of large beetles, popularly called Cockchafers; some species swarm out in immense numbers, stripping the foliage off the native bush and sometimes attacking the shade-trees in the gardens. Most of their larvae are large, white, subterranean grubs, either feeding on roots of grass and plants, or living in or under decaying logs. Dr. Ohaus has just published a “Revision des Anoplognathides” 1904, in which he describes 72 species included in 13 genera. _Repsimus aeneus_ has a dark blue to coppery tint; the tip of the abdomen is reddish, and the hind legs are thickened. They are found clinging to low bushes, and are common about Sydney.

68. _Anoplognathus porosus_ (Dalm). 69. Larva. 69a. Pupa.]

_Calloodes grayanus_ is a very handsome bright green beetle with the outer margins of the thorax and wing covers edged with yellow; it measures 1¼ inches long; is found in Queensland, but seldom in numbers. The two beautiful, little, metallic gold coloured species placed by Macleay in this genus have been removed by Ohaus into _Anoplognathus_, which now contains 41 species. Among these are our large reddish brown cockchafers. _A. viridaeneus_, the “King-beetle,” is our largest cockchafer; it measures 1½ inches and is broad in proportion; has a general bright metallic reddish golden sheen; and the tip of the abdomen is deep green. It is usually found clinging to the foliage of the smaller gum trees in early summer. _A. velutinus_ takes its name from the velvety patches of curious little white scales scattered all over its dull brown coat; it is found about Sydney, but is not plentiful.

The larva and adult feed upon grass roots and sometimes
damage growing corn.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

_A. porosus_ is a light brown beetle; the wing covers are marked with tiny dark spots that form irregular, short, parallel lines; the head and thorax are shining; it is ¾ of an inch in length. It, and _A. analis_, a large reddish shining beetle furnished with a tuft of hairs at the tip of the abdomen, are two of our commonest species; their larvae have been found destroying strawberry plants by eating off their roots; and they are frequently met with when digging over the garden in early summer.

_Anoplostethus opalinus_, just under 1 inch in length, is a very beautiful pale opaline green beetle, and is peculiar to Western Australia.

71. _Xylotrupes australicus_ (Thorn), Larva. 72.
_Xylotrupes australicus_, Male Beetle.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

* * * * *

The DYNASTIDES contain the giants of the family, and in several genera the males have the head and thorax greatly enlarged and produced into blunt spines and horns; while the female has them of the usual rounded form. _Oryctes barbarossa_ is one of our largest black lamellicorns; it comes from N. Australia. _Pentadon australis_ is a shining black beetle about ¾ of an inch in length, which has been found damaging young maize plants about Sydney. The Queensland Elephant Beetle, _Xylotrupes australicus_, in the larval state feeds upon decaying vegetable matter, from which the beetles emerge and climb up the first tree to hand, and upon which they cling during the day, but come buzzing round to the lamps at night. The male measures 2 inches in length; is of a uniform black colour; the head curves out in front into a double-pronged horn; and the front of the thorax is produced into a second swollen one curving downward over the horns on the head, arcuate and toothed on either side of the tip. The female as usual in this group is smaller, and the head and thorax are of the ordinary rounded structure.

* * * * *

The CETONIDES comprise the beautiful “Rose Chafers,” with their shorter, broader, flattened bodies, small heads, and the angular thorax broadest behind. Australia is rich in these flower-haunting beetles, and some species are very abundant in the summer months. A great number were at one time placed in the Genus _Schizorrhina_, but in 1880 Kraatz in a paper on the revision of the family (Deutsche Ent. Zeit. xxiv.) divided them into a great many new genera, in some cases with very little reason.

A Buprestid Beetle that has the curious habit of flying into
the fire.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The members of the Genus _Lomaptera_ are chiefly found in the more tropical parts of this continent, and are easily distinguished from the other groups by the shape of the thorax, the hind margin produced into an angular wedge into the centre of the elytra; while in the other typical Rose Chafers the thorax is truncate, and a wedge-shaped piece separated from the thorax occupies the centre of the back. _Lomaptera wallacei_ is of the usual flattened form; uniform rich shining green; and measures just an inch in length. It is found upon flowers in the tropical scrubs of North Queensland. _L. duboulayi_, about the same size, is of a duller green tint, with the outer margin of the head, thorax, elytra and under-surface dull yellow: _L. cinnamea_, slightly smaller, is of a uniform shining reddish brown colour.

_Dilochrosis atripennis_ is one of our largest typical cetonids; it measures over 1½ inches in length and is broad in proportion; it is shining black, with the sides of the thorax and elytra, except a stripe down the centre (broadest in front), rich reddish brown. It is not uncommon about Cairns, N. Queensland, and ranges down, according to Masters, to the extreme north of N.S. Wales. The Fiddler, _Eupoecila australasiae_, about ¾ of an inch in length, is black and reddish brown, marked upon the thorax and elytra with green stripes, forming a fanciful resemblance to a lyre upon the back, from which it takes its popular name. The larvae of this and the following species, (thick fleshy white grubs) feed in the rotting trunks of dead grass trees, forming stout oval cocoons in the larval stage; and the beetles are very abundant upon the Angophora flowers in the early summer.

A Leaf-eating Flower Beetle, common on the Black Wattle.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

_Micropoecila cincta_ is another common species about Sydney; is slightly smaller; of a general black colour, the outer edges of the thorax and wing covers broadly margined with reddish yellow; and its life history and habits are identical with the “Fiddler.”

_Polystigma punctata_ is one of our smaller common species; is of a dull yellow colour irregularly but finely spotted all over the upper surface with black dots. A second species, described under the name of _P. octopunctata_, is I think only a variety; my specimens all come from the Shoalhaven, N.S.W. _Cacochroa gymnopleura_, about the same size, is black, rather downy on the under surface; and is remarkable for having a variety as common as itself, with reddish brown thorax and elytra.

The members of the Genus _Trichaulax_ are remarkable for having the elytra deeply furrowed, and these depressions filled with close short hairs. They are all large fine beetles over an inch in length; _Trichaulax philipsii_, taken about Sydney on the flowers of the blood-wood late in the summer, is marked with grey hairs. _T. marginipennis_ is common to N.S. Wales and Queensland; it has bright reddish hairs completely clothing the tips of the wing covers and abdomen.

_Diaphonia dorsalis_ is a large common species, of a general black colour, with the upper surface of the thorax and elytra yellowish brown variably marked with black in the centre. It often comes flying about the garden with a loud hum, and even sometimes comes in through the open window.

_D. olliffiana_ is a very rare species about the same size, with the upper surface reddish brown and the wing covers irregularly marked with black blotches. All the specimens known, about half a dozen in number, come from the same locality, Colo Vale, N.S.W., and nothing is known about their habits. _Glycyphana brunnipes_ is common on the flowering scrub about Sydney, and has a wide range round the coast of Australia; it measures about ⅓ of an inch, and varies from dull brown to green in colour, irregularly spotted and marked.

Family 29. Jewel Beetles.

BUPRESTIDAE.

This is one of our largest and most typical groups of the Coleoptera, containing a great number of large beetles rich with metallic tints, chiefly found upon flowering shrubs, and most plentiful on the coastal districts of Victoria, New South Wales, and West Australia. They are elongate in form, with the head short, fitting closely into the broader thorax, and furnished with large eyes and slender, slightly serrate antennae. The abdomen is long with closely fitting wing covers, and well-developed wings which enable them to fly well, though they usually drop to the ground when disturbed. The larva is a slender flattened white grub with small black jaws and head; the thoracic segments are very broad behind and rounded to the much narrower abdominal segments. They are wood borers, feeding in the sapwood under the bark, and finally burrowing into the solid timber where they pupate; some of the smaller ones feed in dead wood; and a few form regular galls upon the roots or branchlets of shrubs.

Family BUPRESTIDAE.

1. _Stigmodera fortnumi_ (Hope).
2. _Stigmodera macularia_ (Donov.).
3. _Stigmodera pascoci_ (Saunders).
4. _Stigmodera thoracica_ (Saunders).
5. _Cyria imperialis_ (Donov.).
6. _Stigmodera variabilis_ (Donov.).
7. _Calodema regalis_ (Lap. et Gory).
8. _Chalcophora vittata_ (Waterhouse).
9. _Julodimorpha bakewelli_ (White).

(Original photo. Burton.)]

The Banksia beetle, _Cyria imperialis_, has a wide range and is common about Sydney upon the foliage of the stunted honeysuckle bushes (_Banksia_); the larvae feed in the stems. It measures 1½ inches in length; is of a uniform shining black colour, richly marked on the upper surface with bright yellow forming four irregular bands across the elytra, and the under surface is lightly clothed with grey hairs. The Genus _Diadoxus_ contains two very distinct species, the larvae of which feed chiefly on the stems of our native cypress pines, and sometimes attack and destroy introduced pine trees. _Diadoxus scalaris_, very variable in size, measuring from ¾ to 1¼ inches, is a slender pale yellow beetle, with the hind margin of the head and thorax marked with black, and the wing covers so thickly mottled with reddish brown that the yellow only forms a row of blotches down the back. It has a wide range from N.S. Wales to West Australia. _Diadoxus erythrurus_ known in the west as the “pine scrub beetle,” is a much smaller insect slightly over ½ an inch; the head and thorax are almost black; the wing covers are dark, the basal portion has a double blotch of yellow on each side followed by a row on either side of three spots; the under surface has a greenish tint when alive. The larvae of this species first feed round the stem under the bark, cutting the sap wood, and where the infested tree is small, cause it to snap off.

The large rich metallic green or coppery _Chalcophora_ are more tropical beetles, the largest of which are restricted to Queensland and North Australia; Masters lists 24 species in his catalogue, chiefly described by Saunders (Trans. Ent. Soc. London 1872), and Waterhouse in the same Journal three years later.

_Chalcophora vittata_ measures nearly 1¾ inches in length, and is broad in proportion; its general colour is deep metallic green, with the head and thorax shaded with rich coppery tints; the elytra are finely ribbed and are powdered with a yellow pubescence lining the parallel striae, and also forming two spots on the sides. _Chalcophora farinosa_ is a smaller and more slender species with a narrow thorax, and pointed wing covers; in the neighbourhood of Cairns, N.Q., I used to take them in the early morning resting on the wild banana leaves.

_Nascio parryi_ is a small black beetle with a long thorax of a uniform width; the wing covers are short in proportion, and curiously marked with reddish orange. It is generally found upon the foliage of eucalypts, but nothing is known about its life history. The members of the Genus _Melobasis_, of which about 30 have been described, are small, brilliantly coloured metallic green and gold beetles. _Melobasis splendida_, not much over ¼ of an inch in length, is bright green, the thorax and elytra marbled with dull purple. The larvae feed in the dead branches of _Acacia longifolia_.

_Julodimorpha bakewelli_ is found in South and Western Australia; it is a large handsome beetle with a deep coppery red thorax and deep yellow wing covers. It is elongate, but more cylindrical in form than the _Stigmodera_.

The typical Australian Genus _Stigmodera_ contains about 240 described species which are found in open scrubby country where flowering shrubs are abundant; the extensive scrubs round Sydney, and similar class of country on the west coast of the continent are the head quarters of most of the larger species. _Stigmodera tibialis_ measures 2 inches in length, and is broad in proportion; the head, thorax and under surface black, with the wing covers reddish chestnut with two irregular bands of dull orange yellow across the apical half. _S. heros_ is half an inch longer, one of the giants of the group; it has the under surface dark bronzy brown, the dorsal surface deep dull red; the thorax finely punctured, and the elytra coarsely striated. Both these beetles range from South to Western Australia. _S. pascoei_ is a handsome rare species from Western Australia, measuring under 1 inches in length; it is of a rich yellow tint with the upper surface of the head, thorax, and legs rich metallic coppery red, and the apical third of the finely striated elytra black with a fiery red sheen. _S. thoracica_, slightly smaller, is black on the under surface except the sides of the thorax and tip of abdomen; the dorsal surface is yellow, except the head, a band through the centre of the thorax, and the tip of the wing covers which are bluish black. _S. fortnumi_ is one of the few large species found in the interior; it measures 1¾ inches in length, and is broad in proportion; the under surface is rich metallic green marked with yellow; the upper surface yellow with the greater part of the thorax and three broad bands across the elytra deep metallic blue.

_Stigmodera grandis_ sometimes measures 2 inches, and is the largest species found about Sydney; its general colour is dark bronzy brown with the outer edges of the thorax and elytra margined with yellow. The common jewel beetle, _Stigmodera variabilis_, is very abundant when the _Angophora_ is in bloom; its general colour on the under surface, head and thorax is bronzy black, with the edge of the latter and the wing covers bright yellow; the markings upon the latter are most variable; specimens are sometimes thickly barred with black, others without a spot upon them, so that it is difficult to get two alike. _S. macularia_ is purple to black, with the wing covers bright yellow deeply pitted all over with purple dots. _S. jacquinoti_ might be easily mistaken for the last, which it resembles both in size and markings, but the tips of the wing covers are produced into sharp spines; and the markings are coarser; it is a much rarer beetle than the former, which is one of the commonest large species. _S. gratiosa_ is the type of a group from W. Australia, all of a rich metallic green tint with deeply punctured wing covers; it has the head and thorax bronzy green and very finely punctured, with the elytra green and very coarsely punctured; its length is about ½ an inch, and it is short and broad in proportion. This brilliant little beetle is plentiful in some districts, and specimens set in gold are often used for earrings and brooches, for which its solid integument makes it adaptable.

_Calodema regalis_ from the scrubs of Southern Queensland and the extreme north of N.S. Wales, is possibly our most beautiful beetle in shape, size, and colour. Measuring nearly 2 inches in length and broad in proportion, the whole of the under surface, head and thorax are rich metallic green, with two conspicuous blotches of dark red on the dorsal surface of the thorax; the wing covers are bright yellow, almost smooth, slightly spined at the tips, with a very fine pencil of green down the sides of the inner edges.

The members of the Genera _Ethon_ and _Paracephala_ form galls; the first are short, thickset beetles of a dull coppery tint, with wavy markings on the wing covers. _Ethon corpulentus_ and _E. marmoreum_ make rounded galls upon the roots of _Dillwynia cricifolia_, sometimes as many as twenty on one plant clustering round the base of the stem. _E. affinis_ forms galls upon the stems of _Pultenea stipularis_. _Paracephala cyaneipennis_ forms galls on the branches of the stunted Casuarina (_C. distyla_), growing about Sydney. It is a slender dull metallic green beetle about ⅓ of an inch in length. The Genus _Cisseis_ contains a number of very pretty little metallic tinted beetles, the larvae of which feed in the wood of _Acacias_ and other small shrubs, and the perfect beetles feed upon the foliage. _Cisseis 12-maculata_, a pretty deep blue-black beetle covered with large white spots, is found on the grass tree; _C. leucosticta_, _C. similis_, and _C. maculata_ upon the black wattle.

Family 30. False Click Beetles.

EUCNEMIDAE.

The beetles in this group form a sort of connecting link between the Flower Beetles and the Clicks: many of them are very like the latter, but they cannot jump; they have a large terminal joint in the palpus, and the antennae when resting are hidden in the grooves along the under side of the thorax.

Sixteen species are listed in Masters’ Catalogue, all of which, with one exception, are described in Bonvouloir’s Monograph of the family (Annals of the Soc. Entom. France 1871–7).

Family 31. Click Beetles.

ELATERIDAE.

These beetles are found in many different situations, upon flowers, hidden under bark, or in cracks on the tree trunks. They are well known from their habit of flying in to the lamp at night, and falling on their backs go skipping all over the table. They are elongate in form, with slender serrate antennae, and a small head deeply sunk into the thorax, which is rounded in front, truncate on the hind margin and with a slight spine on the edge; while on the under side the thorax is furnished with a process that fits into a groove in the first segment of the abdomen, which enables it to get enough leverage, by pressing the head down when on its back, to jump a considerable distance upward. The larvae are slender, cylindrical, shining brown grubs popularly known as “Wire Worms,” and some European species are said to do considerable damage by eating off the roots of grass and crops.

About 350 species have been described from Australia, most of them dull brown or black in colour, though a few are brightly tinted or marked. _Agrypnus mastersi_ measures 1 inch, and is of a uniform brown colour clothed with fine buff down; it ranges from Queensland to Western Australia. The Genus _Lacon_ contains a great number of short, broad, dull brown clicks usually found under bark or stones. _Lacon caliginosus_, half an inch in length, is dull brown; it ranges from Tasmania to Queensland. _Alaus gibboni_ comes from the Richmond River; it measures 1¾ inches, and is broad in proportion; its true colour is black, but it is so thickly clothed with fine short grey down that it is almost a dull white. _A. sericeus_ is a smaller beetle clothed with an admixture of buff and chocolate down; I have found them pupating in decaying bark on dead trees on the Richmond River. _Tetralobus cunninghami_ is typical of a group of the large cylindrical “clicks,” in which the male has feather-like antennae, and the thorax is rounded. It is 1½ inches long, dark brown, with the under surface of the thorax clothed with reddish hairs. These large clicks are generally found in the interior on the trunks of trees. The Genus _Monocrepidius_ contains a number of slender black or brown insects usually living on flowers or foliage. _Ophidius histrio_, 1 inch long, is black, richly marked with dark yellow lines forming four parallel bars down the thorax, and a more irregular lance-shaped pattern on the wing covers; this is another fine species from the Northern Rivers, N.S.W. _Anilicus semiflavus_ is found on the Angophora flowers about Sydney; it is ½ an inch long, black, with the basal half of the elytra bright red.

Family 32. Feather Horns.

RHIPIDOCERIDAE.

This is not a big family; the species are confined to the warmer parts of the world, and are chiefly distinguished by the peculiar structure between the tarsal claws, and the beautiful feathery antennae of the males. _Rhipidocera mystacina_, our typical form, is ¾ of an inch in length, elongate in form, with narrow sloping thorax and large feather-like antennae; the general colour is black, with the sides of the thorax and whole of the wing covers thickly spotted with white downy dots. I have often taken this insect in numbers in the North-West of Victoria.

Family 33. Fire-Fly Beetles.

MALACODERMIDAE.

The members of this family have a softer integument than most beetles. They do not all emit light; the true “fire-flies” and “glow-worms” belong to the sub-family LAMPYRIDES.

The Genus _Metriorrhynchus_ contains about 50 small, elongate, flattened beetles of a dull red colour marked with black; the wing covers are deeply ribbed but soft and flabby. The larvae are curious, smoky black creatures with blunt spines along the sides of the body, and live under stones or logs. _M. rufipennis_, one of the largest, is ¾ of an inch in length; the head and thorax are black and roughened; the wing covers are light red, deeply ribbed and reticulated: Waterhouse figured and described many of these (Trans. Entom. Soc. 1877). Our true fire-flies belong to the Genera _Luciola_ and _Atyphella_. On these Olliff has written an interesting paper entitled “New Species of Lampyridae with notes on the Mount Wilson Fire-fly” (Pro. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1889). Our fire-flies are small, light brown beetles, which during the day cling to the foliage, flying about at night, emitting a bright flash of phosphorescent light from the tip of the abdomen as they move their wings. Several species are found on the Blue Mountains and in the tropical scrubs of North Queensland; they are very brilliant after night-fall: _Luciola flavicollis_, ¾ of an inch, is our common species. The Soldier Beetles, chiefly belonging to the Genera _Telephorus_ and _Selenurus_, are common upon low bushes and flowering shrubs. _Telephorus pulchellus_, ½ an inch in length, is a slender, dull orange coloured beetle; the dorsal surface is shining blue black except the apical half of the thorax, which is bright yellow. This beetle sometimes appears in great numbers; I have seen the Melaleuca scrub on the Blue Mountains black with them.

Family 34. Hunting Beetles.

CLERIDAE.

There are many handsome little beetles in this family which spend their time hunting over logs, tree trunks, or in flowers to catch smaller insects which they devour; most of them lay their eggs in the bodies of the pupae of wood moths and other insects. A freshly fallen tree is a good locality to look for Clerids, as they find many small beetles attracted by the withering bark: in Europe the larvae of several groups infest the nests of wild bees.

_Natalis porcata_, 1 inch in length, is black covered with a whitish down, and is found under the dead bark on tree trunks; it is probably parasitic upon the grubs of longicorn beetles (_Phoracantha_). _Cleromorpha novemguttatus_ measures only ⅕ of an inch; it is rich metallic blue, lightly clothed with black hairs, and the elytra spotted on either side with white dots: it is common in the flowers of the _Angophora_ in early summer. The Genus _Aulicus_ contains a number of bright metallic green or blue beetles which live on flowering shrubs; about 20 species are described, chiefly by Cheverolet (Memoirs of the Cleridae 1878). _Aulicus instabilis_, one of the smallest, is only ¼ of an inch in length; it has a wide range over Australia. _Trogodendron fasciculatum_ is another widely distributed species, and may be often seen flying about in the height of summer; if captured it bites most viciously. I have on several occasions pulled its body off, leaving the head with the jaws buried in my finger: it is parasitic on the pupae of our large wood moths. It is variable in size, about 1 inch in length, thickset and broad in proportion; is dark brown, with bright yellow antennae, and broad black fasciae at the base and apical half of the elytra. _Zenithicola obesus_, ⅓ of an inch in length, is like the last in general form, but with dull yellow thorax and shining black elytra marked with white: _Z. australis_, a slightly larger species, has a black thorax. The members of the Genus _Eleale_ are elongate, dark metallic green or blue beetles clothed with fine hairs and deeply punctured wing covers; they also live among flowers. _Tarsostenus zonatus_ is typical of the small, slender, cylindrical clerids that infest the gall-making coccids, and are often bred from these galls. It has a bright reddish brown head and thorax, and green wing covers barred across the centre with white. _Lemidia hilaris_, ⅙ of an inch long, is a short broad beetle of a shining black tint, with the basal half of the elytra red. The Red-legged Ham Beetle, _Necrobia rufipes_, an introduced species, is found all over the world. In the interior it swarms under dead animals, feeding upon fresh bones; and is also often found about cheese and other preserved foods in the pantry.

Family 35. Anobiums.

PTINIDAE.

These beetles are small insects, with the head hidden under the thorax; they have filiform, pectinate or slightly clubbed antennae; and several species are world wide in their range, for as they live in all kinds of dried food stuffs they are easily introduced into new countries. _Gibbium scotius_ is a curious little beetle hardly over ¹⁄₁₂ of an inch in length, with a bright shining brown body, and the legs and antennae covered with yellow scales; it feeds upon feathers, and is often found in birds’ nests. _Anobium paniceum_ is known as the “Biscuit Weevil,” but feeds upon all kinds of things; I have found it in boots, seeds, drugs, botanical specimens, and it is said to have been found burrowing through sheet lead. The Cigarette Beetle, _Lasioderma serricorne_, is another little brown beetle common in Sydney in waste tobacco. Olliff has described a number of Australian species (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1886); and Westwood others (Ent. Soc. 1869), among which are several members of the Genus _Ectrephes_, which live in ants’ nests.

The omniverous drug-store beetle (Introduced).

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

Family 36. Powderpost Beetles.

CIOIDAE.

The Beetle so destructive to Rattan furniture.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

Though small in size and number of species, these are very important beetles on account of the damage they do to rattan furniture and sapwood in unseasoned timber. _Lyctus brunneus_, a small elongated, reddish brown beetle about ⅙ of an inch in length, lives and breeds in wood, and is only too common about Sydney. A second species has been described from South Australia by Blackburn.

Family 37. Auger Beetles.

BOSTRYCHIDAE.

The Auger Beetle which attacks dead or dying trees. Orange
tree stem in which a number have been feeding.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

These beetles are easily recognised by their curious cowled thorax, with the head turned down beneath, and the last 3 joints of the antennae forming a well-defined club; the body is long and cylindrical, adapted for burrowing in dead wood. Specimens of these beetles can generally be found upon fallen trees or freshly-cut timber. _Bostrychopsis jesuita_, one of the largest of the group, about ½ an inch in length, is black, cylindrical, with the rounded thorax rugose in front, and the tip of the wing covers truncate. _Bostrychus gibbicollis_, about ⅓ of an inch, is dark reddish brown, with a spined thorax and the tips of the wing covers produced into blunt teeth. _B. cylindricus_, about the same size and similar colour, has elytra furnished with three curled spines on each side. It has been found damaging wine casks. In the Genera _Apate_ and _Rhizopertha_, also found in dead timber, we have a typical form in _Apate collaris_, measuring ¼ of an inch in length, with a dull yellow thorax, dark brown wing covers spined at the tips.

The Wine-cask borer.

(“Agricultural Gazette.” N.S.W.)]

Family 38. Mealworm Beetles.

TENEBRIONIDAE.

This is a very large family of beetles, generally dull brown or black in colour, but varying much in shape; many of the more typical forms are found under logs and stones, and might easily be mistaken at first sight for carnivorous carab beetles until the mouth parts and head are noticed. They have somewhat thickened antennae placed on the sides of the head; some have wings, others are wingless; most of them are slow, heavy beetles, very easily captured. The larvae are usually slender shining cylindrical brown worm-like creatures living in rotten wood, of which the introduced Mealworm is a typical example. Our species have been described by a great many English and foreign writers, chief among which are Pascoe, in the Journal of Entomology 1869, and Annals of Natural History 1869–80; Hope in the Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1842–48; Bates in the same journal 1873; and later on in the Proceedings of the Australian Societies by Macleay and Blackburn. Carter has within this last year described a number of new species (Pro. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1905–6).

The Ironbark Beetle, _Zopherosis georgii_, is found in the northern scrubs of N.S. Wales, generally climbing on tree trunks; it is an elongated, flattened, dull brown beetle, slightly over 1 inch in length; the antennae thickened, and the whole of the upper surface covered with rounded irregular knobs; it is not unlike a caricature of a large click beetle.

The members of the Genus _Pterohelaeus_ are smooth, shining, tortoise-shaped black beetles, found under dead bark on the trunks of trees. _P. piceus_, common in S. Australia and N.S. Wales, is just under 1 inch in length, but broad in proportion.

The Tortoise Beetle.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

_Helaeus subserratus_, from Western Australia, is typical of a very curious group not only wingless, but having the elytra and abdominal segments soldered together into a broad flattened box with a wide thin flange running right round, continued round the thorax, and overlapping in front of the head, which latter is turned down and is thus situated in a regular frame; this one is dark brown, with the outer flange lighter coloured; it measures 1⅓ inches in length, and is broad and rounded in form. These beetles are usually found in the driest parts of the interior, where they live under stones or logs among the dust, and in spite of their size, remain so motionless that they can be very easily overlooked.

_Saragus floccosus_, found on tree trunks in the north of N.S.W., is a smaller tortoise-shaped insect, under ¾ of an inch; is convex and keeled down the centre of the thorax; and the elytra have a more narrow flange running right round but curving in and rounded on either side of the head. When alive, it has the whole of the upper surface covered with loose flocculent matter like soft sawdust, evidently as a protective covering, but this is easily brushed off when dead. _Hypaulax tenuistriata_ is one of the common large black beetles found under dead bark; it measures about 1 inch in length; the head is small, projecting; the thorax broad, rounded, shining; and the broad wing covers are distinctly ribbed with punctured striae.

_Chartopteryx childreni_ is one of our most remarkable and rare species; it is 1 inch long; the only specimen I have seen alive, I caught alighting on a tree trunk at Mosman, near Sydney; it is elongate, broad, oval in form, with the head and thorax turned down, and the convex, shining, black elytra deeply punctured and clothed with dull yellow moss-like material; the head and thorax are ornamented with fine white hairs, forming an elongated mark on either side of the latter and two parallel lines down the centre of the head and thorax.

_Blepegenes aruspex_ is a shining coppery black coloured beetle measuring ¾ of an inch; it is slender in form, remarkably like a carab, with a small thorax that is produced into a spine on either side; the elytra are deeply ribbed; it is found under logs in the Illawarra district, N.S.W.

_Cardiothorax howitti_ is also found under logs; it is an elongate beetle, black with a dull purple tint on the thorax, which is flattened and almost round, a regular rim running round the margin; it is arcuate behind the head, and produced into a spine on the hind margins; the wing covers are elongated to the apex, and ribbed. The members of the extensive Genus _Adelium_ are found under logs; some species are quite common, clustering together in considerable numbers; they are all black or coppery tinted. These beetles are about ¾ of an inch in length; the thorax is roughened, and the wing covers more or less striated.

The Genus _Chalcopterus_, which now includes most of those described as _Amarygmus_, are black or brightly metallic coloured beetles; the head and thorax are small and curve downward; the wing covers are large, convex, and pointed at the tips. They are found crawling about on tree trunks, or hidden under dead bark, and give out a very pungent offensive odour when handled. _Chalcopterus variabilis_ measures ½ an inch in length; its head and thorax are black, the elytra rich coppery red, and it is common about the Sydney scrubs.

The common Mealworm, _Tenebrio molitor_, has a world-wide range; it was introduced into Australia at a very early date, and not long ago a packet of seeds imported from England was found on examination by one of the inspectors of the Agricultural Department N.S.W. to be full of the shining wireworm-like larvae of these beetles. It is a common beetle in stables and produce stores.

Family 39.

CISTELIDAE.

These are delicate, elongate, long-legged beetles, with weak integument, and are closely allied to the TENEBRIONIDAE, only differing from them in having comb-like or pectinate claws on the tarsi; and their larvae are like wireworms. The Genus _Atractus_ comprises a number of slender beetles of bright metallic tints common upon the flowering shrubs in summer; _Atractus viridis_, ½ an inch in length, is bright metallic green, with the thorax and shoulders tinted with coppery red, the wing covers deeply marked with punctured striae. _A. virescens_ is a smaller species with a more dull metallic coppery tint. The members of the Genus _Allecula_ are larger beetles, with long slender legs and antennae, shining brown or black in colour, with finely striated elytra; the larvae are slender, dark, shining brown wireworms living in decaying wood. _Allecula subsulcata_ is slightly over ½ an inch in length, of a uniform black colour, with the last three joints of the antennae and the last two of the tarsi pale ferruginous. The larvae breed in the rotten stems of dead grass trees, and the beetles are generally found hiding among the foliage.

Family 40.

LAGRIIDAE.

This is another small group containing few species, but _Lagria grandis_ is one of our very common beetles, and can be collected on low scrub anywhere about Sydney. The larvae are to be found under logs or among damp leaves on the ground, and are thickset, black, shining creatures. covered with short reddish hair on the upper surface; short antennae standing out in front; and the tip of the abdomen is produced into a pair of pointed spines. The beetle is light reddish brown, closely covered with fine confluent punctures and short scattered brown hairs. It is slightly over ½ an inch in length, with a small head, slender, narrow thorax, and with the front of the wing covers forming a broad shoulder in front.

Family 41.

ANTHICIDAE.

These are small ant-like beetles, with the head having a regular neck and the thorax narrow and elongate; most of them are found among rubbish upon the ground, or along the edges of creeks and watercourses. It is chiefly owing to the researches of King, who collected and described a great number of the species found about Sydney (Trans. Ent. Soc. N.S.W. 1869), that we know much about this family.

Family 42.

PYROCHROIDAE.

This is a small group containing some beetles with the head attached to the thorax by a neck, and with the wing covers much broader than the thorax: _Lemodes coccinea_ is a pretty little bright red beetle with black legs and antennae, the latter tipped with white; it measures slightly over ¼ of an inch in length; is common under logs in the Illawarra district. Another species, _L. splendens_, has recently been described by Lea (Pro. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1906) from specimens obtained by me at Noundoc, N.S. Wales.

Family 43. Pintails.

MORDELLIDAE.

This group, in which the _Rhipidophoridae_ are now included, are very distinctive beetles; they have the head tucked down in front; the thorax large, broad, and rounded at the base, with the hind margins angular and fitting closely into the wing covers, which taper down to the apex; the end of the abdomen forms a stout spine-shaped tip extending beyond the wings.

They are very active little beetles; several species are very numerous and swarm over the flowers of the low scrub. _Mordella leucosticta_, ½ an inch in length, is black; the whole of the upper surface is thickly spotted and marked with dull white, and the legs and under surface are also mottled. _M. limbata_ is a much smaller black beetle ⅙ of an inch in length, and has a pale silvery sheen: _Tomoxia flavicans_, from the northern rivers, is a shorter broader insect. _Pelectomoides conicollis_ is 1¼ inches in length; is of a uniform dull brown colour, with pectinate antennae; the head is small, turned down, and the thorax is broad and rounded. This fine beetle is found about Sydney. Lea has described and listed the members of this family (Trans. Ent. Soc. London 1902).

Family 44. Oil and Blister Beetles.

CANTHARIDAE.

The true Blister Beetle is a slender insect with soft integument, and a small head produced into a neck behind; the thorax is small in proportion to the slender rounded abdomen and wing covers. A number of species have been described from this country by different writers, among whom Fairmaire has been chief (Stett. Ent. Zeit. 1880). Most of them belong to the Genus _Zonitis_, of which about 40 species have been described. _Zonitis bipartita_, under ½ an inch in length, has the head, thorax, base of the wing covers, and under surface of abdomen orange yellow, with the abdomen and rest of the elytra dark shining blue: _Z. brevicornis_ is a very similar insect, but has the whole of the wing covers deep metallic blue.

The true Oil Beetles are more rare; unable to fly, they are found crawling about on the ground with the body distended and the wing covers overlapping each other at the base. Nothing is recorded about the larvae of our species of this family, but in other countries they are known to feed upon the eggs of locusts; others attach themselves to bees, and are thus carried into their nests, where they devour the eggs and afterwards the honey.

The OEDEMERIDAE are somewhat similar looking insects to the Blister Beetle; _Ananca puncta_ is found in the northern parts of N.S. Wales; it is a very slender long-legged beetle over ½ an inch in length, of a general dull yellow colour, with the head, thorax, and legs mottled with dull blue, and the whole of the elongated wing covers dull blue except a dorsal stripe of the prevailing yellow which widens out towards the apex.

Family 45. Woodborers.

SCOLYTIDAE.

The Fig-branch Beetle, better known under the name of _H.
porcatus_ (Chap.).

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

This is a group the members of which are allied to the Weevils, but differ in having a short broad snout with clubbed antennae, and the tibiae toothed on the outer edge. Only a few species have been described from this country, but several of them are well-known pests, and like the smaller species of the Auger Beetles are usually attracted to dying trees. In the Genus _Hylesinus_ we have one, _H. porcatus_, which attacks the terminal buds of both the wild and cultivated figs. It is a short thickset black beetle, about 2 lines in length, with the head turned down to the fore-legs, and the clubbed antennae 5 jointed; the head and thorax are rugose, and the wing covers finely striated; the whole insect is lightly clothed with fine hairs. The Ambrosia Beetle, _Xyleborus solidus_, is a common beetle in the bush, and has lately turned its attention to fruit trees; boring into the branch and then gnawing a chamber right round under the bark, she deposits her eggs at the end of the burrow, at the same time killing the branch and causing it to snap off. This beetle is about ⅛ of an inch in length, of a uniform black colour, with the legs and antennae reddish brown. It is stout and cylindrical in form; the head is turned down in front and hidden from above; the rounded thorax is nearly as large as the body, covered with short rasp-like points in front; the wing covers are flattened and squared off at the tips.

The Scolytid Beetle that damages the Apple tree Branches.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

Family 46. Slender Weevils.

BRENTHIDAE.

These are remarkable looking beetles, very long and slender in form, with the snout never turned down but standing out straight in front of the head; the antennae not elbowed, but composed of a number of bead-like joints attached near the tip on either side; and the jaws situated at the extremity of the snout. In many of the larger forms the males are much bigger than the females, and have the snout much longer; they are chiefly found in the tropical scrubs, two small species however coming from the south. _Trachelizus howetti_, a shining reddish brown beetle about ¼ of an inch in length, has the antennae thickened to the tips; and _Cordus hospes_, a larger beetle of a somewhat darker colour, is found under dead bark on the tree trunks, and also sometimes in ants’ nests. _Ectocemus pterygorrhinus_ comes from North Queensland, and is common on the low scrub about Cairns where timber has been felled; it is somewhat short and thickset; the male is about 1¼ inches in length, with the tip of the rostrum produced into an angulate process, and very long cylindrical antennae. The general colour is dark reddish brown, with the wing covers ornamented with four parallel rows of shining dull yellow bars. _Ithystenus hollandiae_, also from Cairns, is found in similar situations; it is very long and slender, 1½ inches long, blackish brown, with two parallel light reddish brown lines down the centre of the wing covers, and the extremities produced into a tooth at either side. _Homocerus fossulatus_, found under rotten bark, is of a general dull brown colour; is thickened and flattened, with the wing covers much roughened. The male measures about 1¾ inches in length, but the female is much smaller. _Mesetia amoena_ is a very pretty, slender, bright reddish yellow beetle, with the head, legs, and sides of the thorax black, and a dark medium stripe down the thorax and elytron. It is about 1 inch in length, and is common in the scrubs about the Richmond River N.S.W.

Family 47. Carnivorous Weevils.

ANTHRIBIDAE.

These beetles are allied to, but very distinct from, the true weevils, and are usually found on the trunks of dead trees, where they hunt for and devour the small wood-boring beetles that are attracted to the dead twigs, or which breed out of fungus. They have a short blunt snout, and many have long slender antennae which are not elbowed; they are most plentiful in the northern scrubs and forests.

_Ecelonerus albopictus_ is typical of those with short antennae clubbed at the tips; it is a stout thickset dark brown beetle, thickly covered with pubescence, and the whole of the under surface, front of thorax and middle and tip of the body blotched with white pubescence. It measures over ½ an inch in length, and is found in the northern parts of N.S. Wales.

_Ancylotropis waterhousei_ is a good example of the long-horned forms; it measures over ½ an inch in length, but looks shorter as its head and thorax are curved downwards. It is a very slender beetle of a uniform brown tint, but thickly clothed with buff and grey down; the thorax tapers to the front, and the head is elongated but swells out again in front, and is furnished with long slender antennae. _Doticus pestilans_ is known as the “Dried Apple Beetle,” from the habit that the beetle has of laying its eggs in any dried immature apples that are left over the season upon the trees; in its native state the larvae breed in the large wattle galls. It measures only about ⅓ of an inch, and is a short, thickset beetle, with the head turned downward, furnished with slender clubbed antennae. The general colour is reddish brown; it has a raised ridge on either side of the wing covers; the fore-legs are curiously prolonged with large tarsi, and it has a peculiar jumping habit. Pascoe has described most of our beetles belonging to this group (Journal of Entomology 1860, and Annals and Magazine of Natural History 1859).

The Jumping Anthribid or “Dried-apple Beetle.”

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

Family 48. Weevils.

CURCULIONIDAE.