256 



distinctly notched, the others are males and the lobe is trun- 

 cate; they vary in length from 6-^- to 11 mm. On two of 

 the females the head (except for part of the mandibles) is 

 entirely red, on the other its hind slope is infuscated. On 

 the type the prothoracic markings were apparently discon- 

 nected spots, but on the specimens before me they are all 

 connected together, but all in a different way, thus on one 

 specimen the black mark has four extensions to near the apex, 

 on the second specimen there are but three (owing to the two 

 median ones becoming conjoined), on the third there are but 

 two (owing to the disappearance of the lateral ones) ; on all 

 three specimens there are two black extensions to near the 

 base. The elytra are also variable in colour, on two of them 

 the base is narrowly black, and there is a large subtriangular 

 black spot about the middle of each, the space between being 

 flavous, at the sides of and behind the black spots the derm 

 is of a similar shade of red to that of the pronotum ; on the 

 third specimen the black parts are all connected so as to 

 enclose two comparatively small flavous spots. The black 

 parts of the under-surface also vary. The four males have 

 the head, prothorax (tips of hind angles excepted), under- 

 surface, and legs (parts of tibiae and of tarsi excepted) black, 

 the elytra also are black with a large subflavous spot on each 

 towards the base, the spots on two specimens touching neither 

 sides nor suture ; on the third touching the sides but not the 

 suture ; but on the fourth combined to form a wide fascia 

 extending from side to side. 



Three females (from Mackay) also appear to belong to 

 the species; they are small (4^-7 mm.) and all differ in colour; 

 the largest specimen has the hind slope of the head black, 

 the black prothoracic blotch in three disconnected parts, of 

 which two are large oblong spots, extending from near the 

 middle to near the base, the median part has an extension 

 from each of its sides to near the apex ; there is a small 

 blackish spot on each elytron at the base, and the postmedian 

 spot is smaller and more elliptic than on the Sydney speci- 

 mens, with the space beyond it of a more diluted red than the 

 pronotum. The smallest specimen has the basal half of the 

 head black, the pronotum black except for the sides and three 

 disconnected basal spots ; the elytra (as are also those of the 

 third specimen) are much as on the largest of the three. 

 The third specimen has the head, prothorax, under-surface, 

 and legs entirely of a rather pale castaneous. 



All these specimens have the second joint of the hind 

 tarsi as noted under punctulaticeps. I think it extremely 

 probable that the type of interioris (now in the British 

 Museum) was one of the varities of tricolor. 



