1 908.] AUSTRALIAN FOSSORIAL WASPS. 489 



ventral surface shining, the basal segment with sparse and rather 

 long grey pubescence at the base, the three basal segments with a 

 broad band of shining silvery pubescence faintly flushed with 

 golden on the apical margin, the fourth segment Avith a similar 

 band on the sides only. Pygidial area elongate-triangular, veiy 

 narrowly truncate at the apex, microscopically punctured and less 

 polished than the fifth segment. The comb on the antei-ior tarsi 

 is very long. The first recurrent nervure is received at the same 

 distance from the base of the second cubital cell as from the 

 second recurrent nervure, which is received just beyond the middle 

 of the cell. The second cubital cell is about half as long again as 

 the thii'd on the radial nervure ; the third is much produced on 

 the cubital nervure, reaching two-thirds of the way from the apex 

 of the second to the margin of the wing ; the second and third 

 transverse cubital nervures are both strongly curved. The cubital 

 nervure of the posterior wings branches off immediately beyond 

 the apex of the anal cell. 



Black ; the spines of the tibiae and tarsi whitish ; the tegular 

 and the comb of the anterior tarsi testaceous. Wings hyaline ; 

 nervures fei'ruginous at the base, fuscous at the apex. Anterior 

 tarsi fusco-ferruginous. 



c? . Similar, but slenderer, the head and thorax less strongly 

 pubescent, the eyes a little nearer together on the vertex, and the 

 apical abdominal segments more opaque. The eyes in life are 

 bright green. 



Length, $ 11 mm., c? 10 mm. 



Rah. 2 , Cape York, Queensland ; S , Cairns and Mackay, 

 Qneenslsmd {Turner) ; November to April. 



Tachysphex tenuis, sp. n. 



2 . Cl}^3eus shining, almost smooth at the base, punctm-ed near 

 the apex, moderately coiivex, the apical margin transversely 

 depressed and shallowly emarginate in the middle. Antennaj 

 inserted nearer to each other than to the eyes ; the second joint of 

 the flagellum less than twice the length of the first and distinctly 

 shorter than the third or fourth. Eyes separated on the vertex 

 by a distance equal to the length of the first and third joints of 

 the flagellum combined ; the posterior ocelli ovate and oblique, 

 placed on a convexity, with a small, deep, triangular depression on 

 the vertex behind them. Head opaque, very minutely punctured, 

 the front slightly convex, with an obscure longitudinal sulcus from 

 the anterior oceUus ; the space round the base of the antennae 

 clothed with short white pubescence. Pronotum moderately de- 

 pressed below the mesonotum, not very steeply sloped. Thorax 

 slightly shining and almost smooth ; the median segment opaque, 

 a little longer than the mesonotum and longer than broad, ver- 

 tically truncate posteriorly, the face of the truncation finely 

 transversely striated, with a deep median sulcus. Abdomen 

 slender, slightly shining, and very minutely punctured ; the apical 

 margin of the three basal segments depressed, most broadly in the 



