80 



completion of M. Kerreman's monumental monograph on the 

 Buprestidae before attempting my tabulation, a work 

 ■courageously continued throughout periods of ill-health. To 

 this misfortune has now been added the martyrdom of his' 

 devoted country and the detestable German occupation, during 

 which all correspondence has been impossible. I am sure that 

 M. Kerremans will take an honest criticism in a generous 

 spirit. Up to 1902 this author described some eighty-four 

 Australian species of Stic/modera, of which twenty are con- 

 fessed synonyms, partly through the synchronism with Black- 

 burn's publications. To these I have added others below, in 

 some cases confirmed by notes lately taken at the British 

 Museum by Dr. E. W. Ferguson. In a few cases species 

 placed together in my tabulation may not be synonymous. 

 It is not sometimes possible to determine species by description 

 only, especially when the descriptions omit important charac- 

 ters or no following note, shows the distinct ion between a new 

 species and its nearest allies. This should always accompany a 

 description in so large a genus. While a European naturalist 

 has the advantage of access to types and copious literature to 

 hand, he has not generally the field experience and constant 

 communication with collectors to enable him to decide ques- 

 tions of variation and distribution. This fact further 

 emboldens me to attempt the work that follows. 



Variation. — The variations of Stigmoderae are often so 

 wide that it is always a dangerous supposition that an insect 

 that looks at first sight unlike anything described is a new 

 species. At the same time, while certain species seem liable 

 to variation, a large number are singularly constant in 

 colouration, pattern, and structure. These variations may be 

 classified under: — (1) Size, (2) colour, (3) structure, (4) sex. 



(1) Size. — While the majority of species will be found 

 of a certain average size, remarkable instances occur in 

 exceptional cases of dwarf or abnormally large specimens. 

 Thus in the common species, taken around Sydney, I have 

 before me macularia , Don., varying from 33 x 15 mm. to 

 21 x 9 mm.; variabilis, Don., from 37 x 15 mm. to 20 x 8 

 mm. ; jacqtiinoti, Boisd., from 30 x 14 mm. to 19 x 8 mm. ; 

 cyanicollis, Boisd., from 13 x 4^ mm. to lh x 2i mm. 



(2) Colour. — Here will be found the chief stumbling- 

 block to the novice. Again it is the commoner and widely- 

 distributed species which vary most. The well-named 

 variabilis, Don., is a good example of this. Here the elytra 

 may be a concolorous red or yellow, while the three dark 

 fasciae and apical spot show every form of interruption or 

 absence. The following are some of the species in which a 

 similar variation has been noticed: — mitchelli, Hope (with 



