56 AUSTRALIAN BOMBYLTID.E AND CYRTID.E (DIPTERA), 



Comptosia geometrica, Macquart, Dipt. Exot., suppl. 2, 1847, 

 p. 53. Id., White, Proc. Roy. Soc. Tasm., 1916, 

 p. 202. 



Neuria geometrica, Walker, Ins. Saund. Dipt., 1852, p. 167. 



Alyosia geometrica , Rondani, Archiv. per la Zool. iii., 1863, 



p. 54. 

 Comptosia tricellata, Macquart, Dipt. Exot., suppl. 2, 1847, 



p. 53, PI. ii., fig. 6. 



Neuria tricellata, Schiner, Reise Novara, 1868, p. 131. 

 Neuria ohscura, Walker, Ins. Saund. Dipt., 1852, p. 167. 

 Anthrax ohscura, Walker, Ins. Saund. Dipt., 1852, p. 176. 



Comptosia calophthalma , Thomson, Eugenies Resa, 1868, 



p. 485. 

 Neuria hemiteles, Schiner, Reise Novara, 1868, p. 132. 



Comptosia fulvipes, Bigot, Ann. Ent. Soc. France (7), Ixi., 

 1892, p. 359. 



Synonymy. — Bibio sylvanus, Fabricius, is described as a 

 fuscous species with the scutellum and sides of the two first 

 abdominal segments ferruginous; the wings have a sub- 

 ferruginous anterior border and several fuscous spots; the 

 legs are piceous. 



This description could apply to a species of the genus 

 Hyperalonia, and evidently Walker's reference refers to 

 such, or to a species until recently generally known as 

 Comptosia corculum, some large specimens of which conform 

 to this description far better than any known species of the 

 genus Hyperalonia. 



The type in the Banksian Collection was evidently col- 

 lected at Botany Bay. The species here identified as C. syl- 

 vanus, Fabricius, is the commonest and most conspicuous 

 Bombylid in that neighbourhood, and this fact, added to the 

 comparatively good description, makes a plausible argument 

 concerning the identity of Fabricius's species; on the other 

 hand, specimens with the described ferruginous abdominal 

 spots are rarely met with in this species. 



Under the name Comptosia sylvanus, Fabricius, there 

 are a number of specimens identified in various collections, 

 and many of these have form names corresponding to special 

 forms described, and are as follows: — 



Form corculum, Newman, from Western Australia, is 

 small, and has three submarginal cells. 



