388 



DIMORPHISM IN FEMALES OF AUSTRALIAN AGRIONID^, 



Form A. 



Thorax. — Prothorax bronze. 

 Meso- and metathorax deep 

 bronze-green with an irregular 

 light blue patch low down on 

 each side, extending from hind 

 wing-join to between meso- and 

 metacoxse; the blue edged with 

 black. Scuta and scutellah\MQ. 



Legs very long; deep brown 

 or black. 



Abdomen cjdindrical; 1-8 

 rich bronze touched with j'-ellow 

 lines in the sutures; 8 with a 

 transverse blue anal mark; 9 

 blue with a double basal bronze 

 spot (separated into two sepa- 

 rate spots in some specimens); 

 10 blue with a small double 

 central spot of bronzy-black. 

 Underside dull blackish. 



Appendages short, separate, 

 rather blunt, dull brownish. 



Form B.(dimorph). 



T h o r a x. — Prothorax rich 

 brick-red. Meso- and metatho- 

 rax deep metallic bronzy-black 

 above; sides and notum 7'ich 

 brick-red. 



Legs very long, femora rich 

 brick-red, or red-brown, rest 

 dull blackish. 



A b d o m e n cylindrical; 1 

 rich brick-red; 2 red, with a 

 narrow transverse basal black 

 band and a black anal spot; 3-9 

 dark bronze, sutures pale; sides 

 of 8-9 dull orange-red; 10 black 

 above, orange-red on sides. 



Appendages as in A, 

 yellowish-brown. 



dull 



A. argentea Tillyard. — Only one form of female is known. The 

 colour of the male is silvery-white, due to a bloom forming all 

 over the insect. Where this is rubbed off, the groundcolour is 

 seen to be black. The colour of the female is black. I consider 

 this as the ordinary form of female; the '* red " or dimorphic 

 form being either not known or obsolete. 



A. velaris Selys. — This rather rare insect occurs in North 

 Queensland at Atherton, and also sparingly about Sydney. In 

 both localities I have taken only one form of female, which 

 differs completely from the male, being a " red " or dimorphic 



