BY ARTHUR WHITE. 53 



Male. Face below the antennae covered with white pubes- 

 cence ; front greenish gokl ; eyes hairy, joined directly above 

 the antennae. Antennae dark brown, the style blunt and 

 directed inwards. Thorax and scutellum greenish gold; 

 punctate, and covered with brownish hairs ; scutellum with 

 rudimentary spines. Abdomen deep violet, minutely punc- 

 tate, with scanty white puliescfnce. Leas light yellow brown, 

 with the tarsi darkened Wings with front margin ii flated 

 from base of wing to end of first posterior cell, h\ aline; 

 veins yellow brown with an indistinct stigma. 



Female differs considerably in appenrance from the male, 

 so much so as to be easily mistaken for a distinct species. 

 The eyes are widely separated, with only a little extremely 

 short pubescence, which can only be distinguished with 

 difficulty. Antennae with the first and second joints light 

 brown, third joint and style blackish. ThorajX and scutellum 

 emerald green, the [)ubescence v^ry shi)rt. Abdomen ruddy 

 bronze, with I'ed, blue, and green reflections, according to 

 the point of view. VVings faintly tinged with brown ; the 

 costal margin straight. 



This species can be easily recognised by its bright metallic 

 colouring. The male is much rarer than the female, and, as 

 is the case with most of the Tasmanian genera of Stratiom- 

 yidce, it is the female that is usunlly met with. My descrip- 

 tion of the male is taken from a Victorian specimen, kindly 

 lent me by Mr. F. P. Spry. 



Judging from Macquart's description and figure, I think 

 that th' re is little doulit that it was a female of this species 

 that he described under the name of Beris parvidentata. 



In Tasm;tnia this species is of somewhat uncommon 

 occurrence, althout,^h it is probably widely distributed. My 

 dates extend from February 12 to March 8. 



8. L E c o G A s T E R, Gen. nov. 

 Metallic flies with a short but extremely broad abdomen 

 and fiiur-spined scutellum In the male the costal margin of 

 wings is greatly inflated, and the eyes are densely hairy. 



Wing of Lecogaster ccerulea 

 Head broader than 1 ng. Eyes in the male densely hairy, 

 widely separated at vertex, Itut nearly joined at base of 



E 



