52 [March, 



will usually ])rorluoe twenty or more distinct forms ; the majority of 

 these belong to the great genus Stlgmodera, and six or eight species 

 of this genus are often to be seen at once on. a single corymb of 

 blossom. The great range of size in Sti(j7nodera, from the huge 

 yellow-margined, brown S. grandis, Don., sometimes fully two inches 

 long, to the little green and golden-yellow S. virginea, Er., measuring 

 barely three lines in length, is very striking, and not less so is their 

 endless variety of colour and pattern. Of the larger species, the 

 commonest is the handsome *S'. macularia^ Don., bright yellow when 

 alive with black thorax and numerous large and deep, almost con- 

 fluent black punctures on the elytra ; the closely allied and very 

 similar, but more regularly punctured S. jacquinoti, Bdv., being much 

 more local and rare. 8. variabilis, Don., another abundant species 

 appearing rather late in the season, well deserves its specific name, as 

 it is not easy to find tw^o specimens alike ; in colour it varies from 

 pale ochreous to almost scarlet, and from quite immaculate elytra to 

 a bold pattern of heavy transverse black bands. A rare variety is 

 entirely black, but this I have never met with. Some of the forms of 

 this species closely approach in appearance the beautiful S. affinia, 

 Saund., and iS^. limhata, Saund., both of which appear to be very 

 scarce near Sydney, and the fine S. thoracica, Saund., is still more so, 

 though occasionally found on JEiocaljjptics blossom. Another hand- 

 some species is ^S*. vertehralis, Bdv., pale yellow with dark blue thorax 

 and broad sutural stripe ; it is fairly common, and very partial to the 

 flowers of Kunzcea. Considerably smaller than the above species, but 

 still of fair size, are S. semicincta, Lap. et Grory, a beautiful miniature 

 of /S'. grandis, but of less than half its length ; 8. undidata, Don., a 

 very abundant species, ochre-yellow with a bold black pattern on 

 elytra; S. indistincta, Saund., and S. kirbi/i, Gruer., deep blood-red 

 or scarlet with transverse blue-black miirkings ; S. bicrchelli, L. et G., 

 cruenfa, Kirby, and producta, Saund., gaily varied with red, yellow, 

 and black ; S. rujlpennis, Kirby, with uniform brick-red elytra and 

 shining black thorax, and the beautiful S. klugi, L. et G., deep 

 shining blue with two transverse golden-yellow macular fasciae on the 

 elytra. >S^. spinolw, L. et G., red, with the elytra longitudinally 

 shaded with black, and S. costipennis, Saund., dull black with ochreous 

 transverse fasciae, are remarkable for their deeply grooved elytra ; the 

 latter is somewhat rare, as is also S. pertgi, L. et G., a very handsome 

 species, dark green with red thoracic margins and subapical elytra! 

 band. Smaller forms still are S. ampliichroa, Bdv., and cceruleiventris, 

 Saund., vivid scarlet transveraely banded with blue-black ; S. lutei- 



