YOLUCELLA. 149 



V. nitheculosa. Big., differs in jio «ay from trifasclatu, except 

 that the pale parts of the ahdoineii are reduced to two narri^v 

 bands lying across the eniarginatioiis of tlie 2ii(l and 3rd, aiid of 

 the 3rd and 4th segments, \ery slightly arcuate on front side, 

 practically linear, the first band sliijhtly wider than the 2)\d. 

 The pale bands (regarded as such) in trifascidta are merely much 

 broader, but are similarly shaped and placed, 



Indi\iduals of V. infasciata vary in the thoracic dorsum being 

 tinged with blue-black, which is sometimes confined to the 

 hinder half (as is the case in two $ 2 i" th^ British Museum 

 from Assam, which also possess a bluish-black frons) ; in the 

 hind femora, which are normally entirely orange, but which 

 sometimes have a more or less basal broad black band : and in 

 the intensity and extent of the wing-markings. 



•' In.dia" (type of linearis) ; Sikkim ; South Shan States, Upper 

 Burma, 4000 ft., xi. 18D9 (Lieut. -Col. Bin(/ham) ; Lower Eanges, 

 Khiisi Hills, Assam, 1878 (Chennell) ; liukit Kutu. Selangor, 

 Federated Malay States, 3500 ft. {Itohinson): Kelantan, Fed. 

 Malay States (a $ variety, with frons and nearly all the surface 

 of thorax, scntellum and abdomen shining black) ; Celebes (type of 

 decorata) ; China (type of nubeculosa). Originally described by 

 Wiedemann from Java ; also recorded from Borneo. 



118. Volucella discolor, Brun. 



Volucella discolor, Urunetti, llec. Ind. Mas. ii, p. (32 (1908): de 

 Meijere, Tijd. v. Ent. li, p. 276 (1908). 



(5 . Head : eyes not quite contiguous, black, facets small, 

 uniform. Vertex, frons and entire face bright orange, bare. 

 Face immediately below antenna) flush with the eyes, but from 

 thence projecting well forward, forming a large squarish promin- 

 ence, not reaching downwards much below the eye-level. Antennae 

 on a barely perceptible prominence, orange, with orange plumose 

 arista. Back and underside of head orange, a little orange-yellow 

 hair below. Tliorax w holly uniformly bright orange, with close 

 short golden-yellow hair on dorsum, changing to longer orange 

 hair on the edge, on the posterior part and on the pleura?. 

 Scutellum pinkish-orange, a little yellow hair round the sides. 

 Ahdomen : 1st segment (hardly visible) dark coloured, remainder 

 wholly shining black, with microscopic black pubescence. On 

 each extreme anterior corner is a small bunch of nither shdit 

 yellow hairs. Venter black, unmarked. Leys wholly bright 

 orange, with short golden-yellow hair, which is a little longer on 

 the coxjE. The tarsi very narrowly black between the joints. 

 Wiwjs uniformly pale brown, outer half towards the anterior 

 margin a little darker ; halteres bright orange. 



Length, 10 mm. 



Described from one perfect cT fi'om Sibsagar in the Indian 



