the Asilidse of Australasia. 443 



bristles on sides and posteriorly, sides with grey tomentnm. 

 Scutellum covered with yellowish tomeutum and some black 

 bristles. Abdomen bright fulvous, blackish at base, at apex 

 deep shining black, with no bristles, but some golden-yellow 

 pubescence at sides and on segmentations ; these last are 

 blackish ; genital organs large, black, with blackish pubes- 

 cence. Legs red, knees and tarsi black, fore coxae and 

 femora with white hairs ; all bristles black, middle and poste- 

 rior femora below with bristles. Wings hyaline, yellowish, 

 tinged grey at apex and on fore border; neuration as in 

 Neoaratus hercules, but the fore border is hardly perceptibly 

 dilated ; small cross-veins just below the middle of discal 

 cell. 



The species is very similar in general appearance to Asilus 

 rvfiventris, but is smaller, and the antennae are dark and 

 moustache not wholly yellow. The ovipositor in the female 

 of this species is very small, appearing beyond the eighth 

 segment of abdomen, which is black with black hairs. 



Length, S 24-26, ? 22-24 mm. 



Schiner was of opinion that Asilus nigritarsis was the 

 same as this species, but does not give the name priority 

 owing to its being preoccupied ; he also gave Asilus tas- 

 manice as a synonym. 



Asilus pelago, Walker. 



Type (male) from Swan River. 



Type (female) from New South Wales (presented by 

 Haslar Hospital), and others from Swan River and Adelaide. 



This is a handsome species, with reddish-yellow abdomen, 

 sides and auex black, femora black, tibiae yellow on basal 

 half. 



Length, S 23, ? 27 mm. 



Male. — Face black, covered with pale yellow tomentum 

 on upper part ; tubercle not prominent, bearing the thick 

 yellowish-white moustache, composed of long weak bristles. 

 Beard the same colour. Falpi blackish, with black bristly 

 hairs. Antennae brown, the third joint conical, rather short 

 and broad compared with those of Asilus rufiventris, with a 

 long terminal arista. Hind part of head with whitish hairs 

 and with short black bristles at vertex. Thorax brownish, 

 wdth black stripes; sides with stout black bristles and two 

 below base of wing ; posterior part of dorsum with nume- 

 rous black bristles and hairs, the whole of dorsum with short 

 black pubescence. Scutellum with two long, incurved, black 

 bristles, and hairs or shorter bristles interspersed. Abdomen 



