7iew Species of D /'plop f era. 103 



P. elegans, described from Aru and Key Islands, is un- 

 doubtedly the same as P. simulatus from Batchian and Morty 

 Island. Smith notes after his description of the latter that 

 it may be an extreme variety. 



Polistes actcBon. 



Polistes actison, Hal. Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. xvii. (3) p. 323 (1836). 

 Polistes limai, Ihering, Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. vol. Ixxii. p. 145 (1903). 



A comparison between this species and the type of P. ac~ 

 ^<Eora proves them to be identical. Dalla Torre (' Catalogus 

 Hymenopterum,' vol. ix. Vespidae, p. 122) gives a reference 

 to Latreille (' Encyclopedic Methodique/ vol. x. p. 171, 1825) 

 where no reference is made to P. actceon, and rightly cites 

 Haliday as the author, though Latreille would have priority. 

 In ' Genera Insectorum/ Fam. Vespidse, p. 68 (1904), 

 Latreille is cited as the author of P. actceon, evidently an 

 attempt to correct the synonymy in the * Catalogus.^ 



Polistes humilis, F. 



Polistes humilis, F. Spec. Insect, i. p. 461. no. 20 (1781). 

 Polistes tasmaniensis, Sauss. Etud. Fam. Vespid. p. 66 (1853). 



Specimens of P. tasmaniensis in the National Collection 

 are certainly identical with P. humilis, F., the type of which 

 is in the Banksian Collection (Fabricius, Spec. Insect, i. 

 p. 461. no. 20, 1781), and not in Paris as stated by Saussure. 

 I have not seen the type of P. tasmaniensis, which is in 

 Paris. 



Key to the Australian Species o/ Polistes. 



A. Large species, 18-24 mm. 



a. Colour totally fen-uginoua : length 18 mm, schach,Y. 



b. Colour yellow and black or ferruginous and 



black. 

 a^, Mesotborax black, with two parallel 

 yellow marks on disc. 

 a^. Scutellum, postscutellum, median 

 segment, and first abdominal seg- 

 ment black : length 18 mm tepidus, F. 



V^. Scutellum, postscutellum, two lines 

 on median segment, and first abdo- 

 minal segment at apex yellow : 



length 21 mm picteti, Sauss. 



b^. Mesothorax ferruginous; median seg- 

 ment black : length 24 mm erythrinus, Holmgr. 



