664 



A REVISION OF THE AUSTRALIAN SPECIES OF THE 



GENUS CERCERIS. 



\^Hymenoptera.'\ 



By Rowland E. Turner, F.Z.S., F.E.S. 



As the descriptions of the Australian species of Cerceris are 

 rather scattered, and some of them very insufficient, I think it 

 may be useful to give a brief revision. There doubtless remain 

 many species yet undiscovered, the dry conditions prevalent over 

 a large part of Australia being eminently suitable for this genus. 

 Ikit I do not think it will prove to be so well represented 

 as in North Africa and India; for the section of the genus char- 

 acterised by a raised plate at the base of the second ventral 

 segment seems to be entirely absent from Australia. Many of 

 the species show the broad orange bands so characteristic among 

 Australian Aculeata; the genus being especially liable, in almost 

 all countries, to assume the prevalent colours The species from 

 Adelaide and Western Australia seem to be very little known, 

 several of Smith's types being still unique in the British Museum 

 Collection; and the species I myself have described are, with one 

 exception, from Queensland. I have been able to consult the 

 types of all the species except the common C. australis Sauss. 

 Where the original descriptions are sufficient, I have not thought 

 it necessary to go into minute details in the present paper. I 

 have not given a key to the males, partly because the number 

 known is small, but also because I do not wish to give facilities 

 for describing new species from the males alone, a practice which 

 is undesirable in this genus. 



OO. Key to the Australian species of Cerceris. 



i.Mesopleurae with an acute spine; black, second 



and fifth abdominal segments orange C. varipes Sm. 



Mesopleurje without an acute spine, tuberculate 



or simply roundeii.. 2. 



