BY ARTHUR WHITE. 15 



greatly expanded, and there is an additional black spot 

 on each outer margin of the same segment and the legs 

 are lighter. Another female from Mangalore shows these 

 same three abdominal spots, the remainder of the seg- 

 ment being bright orange-brown, whilst the other seg- 

 ments are black with bright orange-brown hindmargins. 

 Specimens from Victoria also show considerable variation ; 

 they are usually rather smaller and more brightly coloured 

 than the typical Tasmanian form, the colouring of the 

 abdomen varying from orange-brown with a row of black 

 dorsal spots to black with hindmargins of segments 

 crange-brown. Rubbed specimens are oftem lighter in 

 colour than tbose in fresh condition. 



This species may be easily recognized by its large size 

 and red-brown abdomen^ and can hardly be confused with 

 any of the other Tasmanian species. It is a. common 

 species and seems to be generally distributed. It is also 

 common in Victoria. My dates range from January 18 

 to March 2. 



Taeanus vetustus, Walk. 



A sand-coloured species frequenting sandhills on the 

 coast. Thorax dull black, abdomen either entirely pale 

 yellow-brown, or with centre blackish and sides yellow- 

 brown, but the whole of the thorax and abdomen covered 

 with very short, depressed, pale yellow pubescence, which 

 gives it a uniform sand-coloured appearance. Antennae 

 with two first joints reddish-yellow, third black ; femora 

 black ; tibia? yellow ; wings clear with pale veins. 



Length. Female, 13-14 mm. 



Hab. Bellerive. 



Female. Face and beard yellowish-white, the latter 

 short. Palpi pale orange. Antennae practically bare, the 

 first two joints' reddish-vellow, third black ; the third 

 joint slightly humped. Eyesi hairy, in life a brilliant red 

 and green. Frontal stripe long, of almost equal breadth 

 throughout, black, and in undenuded specimens covered 

 with yellow-brown tomentum, with the exception of a 

 small callus towards the base; frontal triangle orange- 

 brown, but, in undenuded specimens, completely covered 

 with yellow-brown tomentum. Thorax dull black, covered 

 with short, depressed, pale yellow pubescence, with sides, 

 posterior margins, and scutellum fringed with long simi- 

 larly coloured hairs. Abdomen slender; the ground 

 colour light yellow-brown, with or without a broad black- 

 ish dorsal stripe, which may occupy the whole of the 

 apical half , but in any case the whole dorsum is covered 



