DESCRIPTIONS OF AUSTRALIAN ^SCHNIN^. 63 



var. ohiita; also inan_y more males o£ var. ohlita occur than females (the latter 

 are generally larger, too^ than the males). All the males I have seen from 

 New Zealand are o£ var. ohlita, while the females are either var. ohlita or 

 var. lineata. But both forms occur frequently in Australia also. In one 

 afternoon I have caught in a circumscribed area of less than a quarter of a 

 mile, along a small creek, all three varieties in both sexes. A pair taken 

 in cop. in Western Australia proved to be var. ohlita ? paired with a very 

 large and typical (^ ! Hence it will be seen that no attempt can be made to 

 subdivide the s{)ecies into regional forms. 



The whole colour-scheme varies very greatly. In the males the prevailing- 

 colour is pale green on a dark brown ground ; but in less mature specimens 

 every shade of cream, straw, yellow, pale blue, and blue-green, not to 

 mention dirty pale yellows and browns, may play a part — even to the extent 

 of all being represented on different parts of the same specimen. In the 

 female the colours are rarely as bright, and many of the abdominal spots are 

 often dirty brown or grey ; yet I have taken some females very beautifully 

 marked with green. 



It is an interesting fact to notice that, when flying, this insect appears to be 

 broadly striped from end to end slantwise with a zebra-like pattern, while all 

 the different species of AustrocescJma, some of which are even more richly 

 spotted with green, appear dark brown or black when flying. 



Larva. — Total length 39 mm.; greatest hreadtli 8"5 mm. across eyes. 

 Head. — Eyes large and prominent; postocular lobes rounded; whole 

 upper sui'face irregularly roughened or shagreened. Labium. — Mentum 

 7*5x5 mm., reaching to between meso- and metacoxse, where it narrows to 

 2*5 mm. (Plate 5. fig. 15). Median lohe slightly projecting, slightly bilobed, 

 carrying a row of short hairs. Lateral lohes fairly broad and long, apex 

 squarely truncate, with outer angle very little rounded and inner angle strongly 

 toothed ; inner margin with only the slightest trace of fine crenulations ; 

 movable hook strong, sharp, curved, 1-9 mm. (Plate 5. fig. 10). Thorax. — 

 Prothorax rather small, 1"8 X 5 mm., narrowing laterally to a vertical ridge 

 about 1 mm. wide with scarcely a vestige of any lateral spines. Meso- and 

 metathorax strongly built, regular, smooth, except for slight shagreening ; 

 icing-cases 8 mm., those of hind-wings 2*8 mm. wide. Tjcgs medium, smooth, 

 femora not much flattened. Abdomen. — Smooth, well rounded above, 

 fairly flat beneath, widest at 7, then tapering considerably to 10. No dorsal 

 spines or hooks ; lateral hooks on 7-9, small to medium. Appendages. — 

 Superior 3"8, strongly bifid at tip ; inferiors 4'2 mm., very sharp. Involucres : 

 male superiors 1*2 mm., pointed, inferior 1 mm., broad, subtriangular ; female 

 1 mm., sharply pointed (Plate 7. figs. 10, 23). Ovipositor very small, covering- 

 only two-thirds of 9 ; involucres of styli very distinct (not noticeable in 

 the entogenic Australian geneva) (Plate 9. fig. 6). Colon r. — -Rich dark 

 brown, with very little pattern ; usually a pale dorsal line bordered on each 



