510 Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell — Descriptions and 



Halictus instahiVis, sp. n. 



? . — Leugtb about 8 mm. 



Black, robust, Avith greyish-wliite hair, mixed with fuscous 

 on vertex, mesothorax, and scutellum ; mandibles very faintly 

 reddisli subapically ; cl\peus shining, with irregular, not 

 very large punctures, and no median depression ; sides of 

 front glistening, but middle broadly dull black, excessively 

 closely punctured ; flagellum dark ; anterior angles of pro- 

 thorax rather prominent ; mesothorax shining, with very 

 fine but distinct punctures ; scutellum broad and flattened, 

 very minutely punctured ; area of metathorax rather short, 

 well defined, finely plicate, with a band of subbasal fine 

 connecting ridges ; in the whole middle area the plicae are 

 very fine and irregular, and the surface between them is 

 minutely pitted ; posterior truncation not sharply defined at 

 sides ; pleura very hairy. Legs piceous, with glistening 

 light hair, the hind tibiae with a band of greyish-fuscous 

 hair on outer side ; hind spur like that of H. griseovittatus ; 

 tegulse piceous, with a large rufous spot. AVings dusky, 

 greyish, stigma and nervurcsduU reddish, second s.m. higher 

 than broad, first r. n. meeting second t.-c. Abdomen broad, 

 shining, very finely punctured, bases of segments with 

 greyish-white tomentum as in H. griseovittatus, but the 

 bands have a slightly ochrcous tint. 



Hah. Croydon, A'ictoria (^Miss A. M. Fulton ; Nat. ]\Jus. 

 Vict. 77). 



Variety a. 



Stigma clearer red ; second s.m. very broad, broader 

 below than high ; wings slightly reddish ; area of metathorax 

 longer. 



Uab. ''Windsor, A^ictoria'' [French ; Froggatt coll. 191). 



Variety b. 



Wings practically as in variety «, with broad second sub- 

 marginal cell ; postscutellum longer, subangulate behind ; 

 area of metathorax sharply defined, with stronger plicae. 



Hob. Victoria, Sept. 11)01 (C. F. ; Turner coll.). 



Closely related to H. griscoritlalus, but larger, with tlie 

 bands on the abdomen diHerently coloured. Possibly 

 variety i is a distinct species, but I hesitate to separate it, 

 especially since var. a is intermediate between it and the 

 type. 



