the Asilidse of Australasia. 151 



with long pubescence ; the head orbicular and much excised 

 behind ; the moustache confined, or almost so, to oral 

 opening. The genus is chiefly confined to the Oriental 

 and the Australasian Regions, but so far only three species 

 have been described from Australia, Tasmania, and New 

 Zealand. 



The synonymy of some of the species is in the greatest 

 confusion, largely owing to the difficulty of identifying 

 Walker^s species from his descriptions. Below is given what 

 appears to be the correct synonymy for a few of the Walker 

 species from the Australasian Region (Australia and New 

 Zealand excepted) from examination of the types, but little 

 can be done till the genus is thoroughly monographed. The 

 species recorded from Australia and New Zealand are only 

 two : — 



Maira senea, Fabr., Syst. Antl. p. 161 \_Laphria] (1805). See Kertesz's 

 Cat. for full references. 



Maira auribarbis, Macq., Dipt. Exot. Suppl. 3, p. 182 (1847), et Suppl. 4, 

 p. 375 ( 2 ) (1849). — Lophria consuhrina, Proc. Linn. Soc. London, 

 iii. p. 84 (1859) ; Bigot, Ann. Soc. Ent, France, (5) viii. p. 218 

 (1878) ; Kirby, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (5) xiii. p. 459 (1884). 



Maira anea, Fabr. 



A species widely distributed, recorded from New Zealand. 

 No specimens from there or from Australia are in the Brit. 

 Mus. Coll. or Mr. French's Coll. Laphria comes c? ? , 

 censors ^ , and replens ? , Walker (this latter is not a syno- 

 nym of A/acra spectabilis, Guerin, as given in Kertesz's Cat.), 

 are probably synonyms of this species. 



There is one male in Brit. Mus. Coll. from New Hebrides. 



Maira auribarbis, Macquart. 

 Laphria consobrina, Walker. 



The male type was described from Java, and later Macquart 

 recorded a female from Australia. 



The type is apparently lost. 



Macquart placed it under Lumpria, a genus confined to 

 the American continent, with spines on underside of hind 

 femora ; in Kertesz's Cat. it is placed under this genus. 



In Brit. Alus. Coll. : — Walker's type (?) from Waigiou 

 (not Aru Islands), and other specimens from New Hebrides, 

 New Guinea, Aru Islands, and a male and female from 

 Queensland. 



From Macquart's description this species is probably the 

 same. 



