BY ARTHUR WHITE. 65 



This interesting specips occurs near the tops of tlie higher 

 hills on both sides of the Bagdad Valley. It probably also 

 •occurs in similar situations in other parts of tho island, 

 although it is unrepresented in any of th^ collections flint I 

 have seen. In its habits and appearance when on tlie wing it 

 bears more resemblance to a Taba?i7( s thun to a species of the 

 Nemestrinid(E. I have been personally deceived in this way, 

 not discovering its identity until after it was captured. In 

 its habits it is slutjgish ; it may be found either, flying at a 

 short (listance above the ground or else settled on rocks or 

 low vegetation. It seems to occui very sparingly. To give 

 an i ea of its relative rarity, I might mention that during 

 three years' collecting I have come across seven specimens, 

 three of these being males, and four females. It seems only 

 to remain on the wing for a short time, as I have only met 

 Tvith it between January 26 and March 2 inclusive. Females 

 captured towards the end of the season seem to have the 

 ovipositor much longer than those taken earlier. 



13. Tricophthalma, Walk. 



Tliis is the genus to which most of the Australian Nemes- 

 trinidse belong. It is characterised by havins: the eyes 

 densely hairy in both sexes; proboscis elongated; antennae 

 with a long, jointed arista ; abdomen conical or short and 

 broad, and, in the female, produced into a long ovipositor, 

 The venation of the wings is similar to that of Hermoneura, 

 from which genus, however, Tricophthalma can be at once 

 distinguished by the elongated proboscis. 



This genus seems to be represented in Tasmania by only a 

 single species. 



Tricophthalma nov^-hollandi^, Macq. (Fig. 9). 

 Syn. Hirmorieura novce-hoUandioi, Macq. 

 „ H. nicjriventris, Macq. 

 „ if. punctata, Macq^ 

 „ Tricophthalma quadricolor, Walk. 

 Very variable in the male, both as regards size and colour, 

 so much so in fact that extreme examples appear to belong to 

 quite distinct species. Thorax black or brown, with two pale, 

 more or less distinct, longitudinal stripes ; abdomen in the 

 malp varying from bright orange to dull drab, in the female 

 always drab, and in both sexes with a row of varialde, dark 

 cetitrn spots ; legs yellow ; wings hyaline, suffused with brown 

 along the costal margin. 



Length. Male, b-15 mm.; female (excluding ovipositor) 

 10.5-12.5 mm., (including ovipositor) 14.5-16 mm. 



Hab. Generally distributed in Tasmania and also occuit- 

 ing Oil the mainland of Australia. 



