4:10 Miss G. Ricardo — A Revision of 



Verli. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, xvi. p. 690 [Crai^pedia'] (1866) ; Loew, 

 Zeitschr. f. cl. ges. Naturwiss. N. F. x. (xliv.) 75 (1874); Froggatt, 

 Australian Insects, p. 300 [ C'r«.'y:>ef//a] (1907). 

 Blepharotes splendidissimus, Wied., Auss. zweifl. Ins. ii. p. 645 [Lap/iria'] 



^vis?. N. F. X. (xliv.) p. 75 (1874). — Blepharotes ahdominalis, Westw. 

 apnd Duncan, The Nat. Libr. xxviii. p. 329, pi. xxxv. fig. 1 (1840). 

 — Craspedia audoiimu, Macq., Dipt. Exot. i, (2) p. 100 (1838). — 

 Fsecas fasciatits, Ja3nn., Abliandl. Senckenb. naturf. Ges. vi. p. 360, 

 pi. xliv. fig. 2 (1867). 



Blepbarotes vivax, Hermann, Zeit. Hymen, et Dipt. vii. i. p. 76 [^Cras- 

 pedia] (1907). 



Blepharotes ateri'ima, Hermann, /. c. [Craspedia] (1907). 



Blepharotes flavus, sp. n. 



The genus was established by Macquart for Asilus cori- 

 arius, Wied.^ aud is peculiar to Australia and New Guinea. 

 It is at once distinguished by the very broad abdomen 

 adorned at the sides by bushy tufts of hairs and by the 

 short terminal style of antennae. The species described by 

 Loew as B. macrostylus I have placed in a new genus, Par- 

 aratus, as, owing to the form of the female ovipositor, it 

 could not possibly be included in this genus. 



In neuration of the wing Blepharotes is allied to Pararatus, 

 Neoaratus, and Asilus in sensu stricto ; its place among the 

 other genera appears doubtful. For the present I have 

 followed Schiner, and placed it at the head of genera with 

 antennal bristle bare. 



Blepharotes coriarius, Wiedemann. 



Specimens of this species, male and female, are in the 

 Brit. Mus. Coll. from W. Australia (Ft/son), Melbourne, and 

 Moreton Bay, and in Mr. Frenches Coll, from Dandenong 

 Ranges, Victoria. Mr. Froggatt states that the species is 

 widely distributed all over the interior of the continent, 

 and can often be seen flving about with its beak buried in 

 the back of a lar^e cockchafer beetle, its long legs clasping 

 its victim and sucking its blood. 



The species is distinguished by the red colour of the 

 abdomen, sides fringed with black tufts of hairs, white hairs 

 appearing on the second, fifth, and sixth segments; under- 

 side black, with white pubescence. Palpi often have white 

 hairs intermixed with the black ones. Fore femora armed 

 with spines as well as the posterior ones. 



Length, ^ , 27 mm. 



