Art. XXIII.—On Deinacrida rugosa Buller.

By A. Hamilton.

[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 1st May, 1912.]

The type of this species was found at Wanganui in an underground burrow and was originally described by Sir Walter Buller in the 3rd volume of the “Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,” 1871, and also figured.

Subsequently, in vol. 29 (1896), Sir Walter was able to complete his description from a pair found amongst the stones on the beach at Stephen Island, Cook Strait, and which were presented to the Canterbury Museum by the late W. T. L. Travers.

The species is a very well defined one, and of considerable interest.

The specimens which I exhibit to-night were also found on an island in Cook Strait, by Mr. Grei, of Willis Street, who has kindly presented to the Dominion Museum the pair now shown. They were found amongst the decaying vegetable growth on the sides of the gullies.

The original male specimen was figured in vol. 3, pl. 5b, figs. 1 and 3.

Unfortunately, no trace of the original or holotype can be found in the Dominion Museum at the present time, and therefore one of the pair in the Canterbury Museum should probably be regarded as the neotype of the species. I therefore suggest the male of Buller's heautotypes at Christchurch be the neotype of the species.