BY ARTHUR WHITE. 87 



numerous species will be found to fall into two groups, in 

 one of which the ovipositor is small, and not laterally com- 

 pressed, the male genitalia arc globular, and distinctly 

 broader than the preceding abdominal segment, and the 

 species are large and brightly coloured ; in the other group 

 the ovipositor is large and laterally compressed, the male 

 genitalia not globular, and not broader than the preceding 

 abdominal segment, or hardly so, and tne species are of 

 small or medium size, and are not brightly coloui-cd ; the 

 two groups I propose jDlacing under the existing names of 

 Asilus and yci)itamu<.. It will now be found that each of 

 these genera breaks up naturally into minor groups, which 

 may be treated either as subgenera of Axiht.< and yeoitamus 

 respectively, or as tx'ue genera; these groups are as fol- 

 lows : — 



Genus Asilus, L. 



Subgenus Asilus (smsu sfricto). 



Xeoaratus, Ricaido. 

 Genus Neoitamus, Out-Sack « 



Subgenus Trichoitamus, s.y. nuv. 



Neoitamus {seiuu stricfo). 

 Rhabdotoitamus, s.r/. ntjv. 



The distinguishing chai-actcrs of those groups are 

 shown in the table below. 



Besides the genera already referred to, the following 

 genera, or subgenera, (rlu pliyropyrfft, Dtfinaclius, Mar/iiiniis, 

 HdigiHDneura, and Ceidistux have been recorded from Aus- 

 tralia, but probably none of these really occur, taking them 

 ia their strict sense. The species described by Schiner un- 

 der iHuphijroinja is unknown; Miss Ricardo suggests that 

 it may be a HeJ'K/inonmrd, but in the absence of the type 

 it. is impossible to ascertain its ti-ue position. The species 

 placed under Di/Kniar/mx does not belong to that genus, 

 owing to the terminal lamellge of the ovipositor being free ; 

 I have placed it in a new genus, 7'r>(ftoitamus. Machimti^ 

 was recorded doubtfully by Miss Ricardo from a specimen in 

 bad condition ; but probably no true Mnrliimus occurs in 

 Australia. The same is also tnie of nell(jwrtneurn, so far 

 as Australian species are concerned, although the genus is 

 known tO' occiu" in New Zealand. The species described 

 under CerdiatuA probably belong to the siibgenus Ncoitn- 

 .i/nix, as defined below; as before mentioned, no satisfac- 

 toiy distinction can be found in Australian species between 

 the two groups. It is worthy of note that in none of tha 



