BY G. H. HARDY. 293 



Alternative key to the genera of the Asilinae. 



1. Antennae with the arista pectinate Omtnatius 



Antennae with the arista bare 2 



2. Wings with three submarginal cells . . Promachus 



Wings with two submarginal cells 3 



3. Abdomen very depressed and broad, and with lateral tufts of hair . . Blepharotes 

 Abdomen cylindrical 4 



4. Female with the apical abdominal segment or segments bare of tomentum, 



shining and usually strongly compressed 5 



Female with the apical abdominal segment never bare or compressed, always 

 cylindrical and covered with hair and tomentum similar to that on the other 

 abdominal segments Asilus 



5. A large black species with a yellow abdomen . . Pararatus 



Small grey, black or brown species NeoUamns 



The genera Philodieiis, Proctacanthus and Erar have not been I'eeognised 

 in the collections examined. 



Genus From a c h u s Loew. 



Type, Asilus maculatus Fabricius. Europe. 



Characters. — The wings liave the cubital vein branching before it reaches 

 the radial vein. Thes'^ i; inches run parallel and close together for a considerable 

 distance but diverge v idely before reaching the margin of the wing. There is a 

 cross vein dividing the area enclosed by the cubital fork at about three-fifths its 

 length, making in all three submarginal cells. 



Genus Blkpiiarotes Westwood. (Text-figs. 9-12). 



Type, B. abdominalis Westwood (^ splendidissima Wiedemann). New 

 South Wales. 



Characters. — The abdomen is depressed, very broad and contains tufts of 

 hairs along the whole length of its lateral borders. The apical segment of the 

 female abdomen is more or less compressed, bare of tomentum and shining black. 

 The wings have the normal two submarginal cells. 



Notes. — Under the name Blepharotes corarius Wiedemann, a number of 

 species have been confused. They all have a similar colour, but they differ re- 

 markably in the characters of the male genitalia, and to a limited extent in the 

 proportions of the antennae and in markings. Miss Ricardo described a species 

 with a yellow abdomen under the name B. flavus, and probably the series of 

 specimens recorded by her under this name also contains more than one species. 



The four drawings given here represent the male genitalia of a few of the 

 specimens and two of these, in which the sexes have been taken in copula, are 

 described as new, as they probably do not conform to the typical species des- 

 cribed by Wiedemann. 



The other species described from Australia is B. vivax Hermann and is re- 

 presented by two females in my collection ; besides the bright thorax this species 

 also has a differently shaped abdomen. 



B. aterrima Hermann from New Guinea, the only species described outside 

 Australia, is unknown to me. 



