210 THE DIPTERA-BRACHYCERA OF TASMANIA, 



Variation. A specimen taken by myself at Mangalore 

 on December 31, 1911, has three submarginal cells instead 

 of the usual two; in other respects, however, it agrees per- 

 fectly with A. nigricosta, and I consider that it is merely a 

 variety of that speicies. Other specimens show great 

 variation in respect to size, some specimens being quite 

 twice the size of others. 



A. 71 igri casta may be recognised without much difficulty 

 by the fulvous hairs on each side of the thorax, in con- 

 junction with the white band on the second abdominal 

 segment, and the practically hyaline wings. It seems to be 

 common and generally distributed. My dates range from 

 December 31 to February 13. 



Anthrax marginata, Walk. 

 Syn. Anthrax fuscicostata, Macq. 



A large species. Wings hyaline with foremargin brown, 

 but the brown colouration never descends so far as the 

 bifurcation of the radial and cubital veins, which is al- 

 ways clear; abdomen broad and flattened, the black 

 pubescence on sides confined to the third and subsequent 

 segments, that on the second segment being pale yellow. 



Length. Male and female, 11.5-14 mm. 



Hab. Tasmania (generally distributed), Victoria, and 

 New South Wales. 



Male. Face and front black, the former covered with 

 short white or yellow pubescence. Antennae black. Thorax 

 and scutellum dull brown or brownish-black, the thorax 

 with pale fulvous anterior and lateral pubescence, and a 

 tuft of white pubescence above the base of the wings, the 

 scutellum with black marginal bristles. Abdomen broad 

 and conspicuously flattened, black, with v/hite pubescent 

 bands on the second, fourth, and sixth segments, and nar- 

 row yellow pubescent bands on the third and fifth segments, 

 but all these bands are very easily rubbed off, and are fre- 

 quently wanting in dried specimens ; the long pubescence 

 along the sides of the abdomen, however, is j^resent even 

 in denuded specimens, and is of more value for identifi- 

 cation ; that on the first and second segments is dull yel- 

 low or yellowish-white, on the third yellow or white an- 

 teriorly, black posteriorly, on the fourth principally white, 

 on the fifth and sixth prinripally black, on the apex white. 

 Legs black. Wings hyaline, with the foremargin 

 brown, but the brown colour never descends so far as the 

 bifurcation of the radial and cubital veins, which is al- 

 ways clear. 



