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26. p. nyctias, sp. nov. 



Deep black, or blue-black; front, face, and head at the sides 

 posteriorly with dense white tomentuni; antennae with pale third 

 joint, acuminate at apex. 



Thorax more or less shining, and thinly clothed with fuscous 

 tomentum, that on the metanotum white, and dense at the sides; 

 scutellum with scarcely visible hairs; a pale spot on either side 

 of the thorax in front. Wings subinfuscate, but darker in some 

 examples than in others, third costal segment very short, and 

 not stigmated; fourth costal segment also short, but longer than 

 the third; small cross-vein about opposite the extremitv of the 

 first longitudinal, and considerably before the middle of the up- 

 per side of the discal cell; upper extremity of posterior cross- 

 vein far beyond the apex of the second longitudinal. Legs black, 

 apex of femora, tarsi, and tibiae yellow, the latter more or less 

 dark in the middle, trochanters sometimes more or less pale. 



Abdomen blue-black, shining; the basal segment with whitish 

 or igrey tomentum, and a line of black bristles on each side; else- 

 where the abdomen with sparse and very short dark hairs, most 

 noticeable towards the apex; hypopygium of male with a large 

 'deft or impression, ovipositor relativelv long. Length 2.5-2.75 

 mm. (PI. VI, fig. 5.) 



HAB. Cairns and Bundaberg, Queensland. 



B. Hawaiian Species. 



27. P. jnvator, sp. nov. 



Black, the face and front with whitish, or grey tomentum. 

 more obscure and fuscous in some examples, head shining and 

 bare in front of the ocelli in the female; antennae very variable 

 in colour, entirely black, or with the third joint, which is acumin- 

 ately produced, piceous, sordid yellow or even entirely clear yel- 

 low rarelv of the latter colour in the male, the tendency being- to 

 a paler colour in the female, in which, 'however, the antennae are 

 sometimes entirely dark. 



Thorax dark, more or less shining, and sparsely clothed with 

 fuscous tomentum, the metanotum more densely with whitish 

 or grey; the scutellum with a marginal series of distinct longish 

 bristles; halteres pale, dark at base; wings blackish smoky in the 

 male, clear in the female, stigma brown, small cross-vein about 

 opposite, or a little beyond the apex of the auxiliary, and well 



