92 KEW AUSTRALIAN ASILID.E, 



has the tibia? entirely black instead of the usual orange ; the 

 rtmaining five species, however, have the ovipositor shorter, 

 and can hardly be cie.scribed as typical, but as the differ- 

 ence between these and other species is a very slight one, 

 and as all seem to be very nearly related, I should not feel 

 justified in separating them. If any objection should be 

 made as toi these species being placed in the genus Neoita- 

 1IIUX, it would be best to remove the whole of the eight 

 sjDecies, and place them in a new Australian genus. 



Some difference in length of the thoTacic bristles is 

 shown in the different species. In X. fhtvlcinrfux the 

 bristles on the anterior half of the thorax are fairly long 

 (though shorter than on the posterior haJf ) ; this character 

 connects the species with Trichoitaiims, but it is distinguish- 

 ed from that genus by the greatly lengthened ovipositor 

 and by the absence of abdominal lateral bristles. In N. 

 ruhjafiis and J\'. InjaJiptnnix the interior bristles are short- 

 er, though still of fair length, in the remaining 

 species shorter still. T. llvidiit: differs somewhat from the 

 other species in the blue-black colouration, and the more 

 conspicuous abdominal lateral bristles ; it may show some 

 relationship with the genus Sfilpnagasfer, but is too nearly 

 allied to the other Australian species of Xeoitamns to be 

 separated froan them. 



The genus, so far as the Australian species are con- 

 cerned, may be characterised as having the abdomen slen- 

 der, either without lateral bristles or with small incoaspicu- 

 0U-: ones; genitalia of the male lengthened, but not broader 

 than the preceding abdominal segment, or hardly so ; ovi- 

 positor in the female laterally compressed, and sometimes 

 greatly elongated, but the amount of elongation varying 

 in the different species; legs with the femora entirely 

 black. 



Taking the genus in this sense, eight Australian speeies 

 are at present known to occur. They are distinguished 

 as follows : — 



Tahlc of the Au-'fralian Si)erie'< of Nenifannis. 



1. Abdomen a. uniform shining blue-black, with 



black lateral bristles; tibiae dark brown. 



LiviDUS, <S'p. nnv. 



Abdomen never shining blue-black, and with 

 the hindmargius of segments white, yellow, 

 or pale brown. 2 



2. Tibise entirely black ; hindmargins of abdominal 



segments yellow. Flavicinctus, WJiite. 



Tibipe always partly red, brown, or yellow. 3 



