Mr. J. O. Westwood's Descriptions of new Mydasida. 87 



XXIV. Descriptions of some new Species of Mydasidae, 

 from Western Australia, by i . O. Westwood, F.L.S. 



[Read December 6th, 1847.] 



The species of the farnily Mijdasidce described in the works of 

 continental authors are natives of America, the south of Europe, 

 and the east and south of Africa, only one species, M. riificornis, 

 having been described by Wiedemann as a native of Tranquebar. 

 In the synopsis of this family which I published in 1841, in the 

 first volume of my " Arcana Entomologica," I described several 

 species from New Holland, namely, M. auripennis, M. viduatus, M. 

 stcnogaster, and M. bicolor, Cephalocera macuUpcnnis, and the three 

 supposed species of Apiocera. It is an interesting peculiarity in 

 Entomo-geography to find this singular group of insects, whose 

 metropolis is evidently South America, appearing in New Hol- 

 land, where, however, it appears to be very rare. 



Since the publication of the above-mentioned synopsis, I have 

 become acquainted with several additional Australian species of 

 this group, of which I now beg to offer the descriptions to the 

 Entomological Society. 



Mydas melle'ipennisf Westw. (Plate XIII. fig. 1.) 



My das niger, marginibus thoracis cum scutello pedibusque 

 fulvis, femoribus posticis clavatis ; alis fulvis, venis rufo- 

 fulvis ; antennis elongatis nigris, articulo basali subrufo ; ab- 

 domine elongato gracili, nigro, nitido, segmentis basalibus 

 utrinque flavo-maculatis. $. 



Expansio alarum 1| unc. 



Habitat in Australia occidental!. Comm. Ince. 



This is a very distinct species ; the head is transverse, and 

 clothed, especially in front, with luteous hairs ; the eyes black ; 

 the hypostoma prominent and fulvous ; the haustellum nearly as 

 long as the depth of the head ; antennae black, moderately long, 

 last joint broad, basal joint varied beneath and near the extremity 

 with red ; the thorax black, the callosities at the anterior angles 

 as well as the sides, scutellum and postscutellum dark fulvous ; 

 on each side before the insertion of the halteres is a short thick 

 spine ; the abdomen is long, narrow, and cylindrical in the female ; 

 the basal segment is transverse, glossy, and pitchy-coloured ; the 

 second joint is obconic, truncate, glossy, black, with a large yellow 



L 9, 



