81 



its many-named variations, infra); yarelli, C. and G. ; sem%~ 

 cincta, C. and G. (with variety variopicta, Thorns.) ; undulata, 

 Don.; robusta, Saund. ; ignota, Saund. ; speciosa, Kerr.; 

 •dulcis, Blackb. ; octospilota, C. and G. ; punctiventris, 

 Saund.; simulata, C. and G. ; reichei, C. and G. ; oleata, 

 Blackb. ; alexandri, n. sp. ; regia, Blackb. The presence or 

 absence of shoulder spots is variable in jjekellii, Saund. ; 

 ignota, Saund. ; skusei, Blackb. ; punctiventris, Saund. ; and 

 others. The absence or presence of yellow or red margin of 

 the pronotum in the same species is rare, but nevertheless it 

 seems to occur — i.e., if stevensi, Gehin. = tibialis, Waterh., 

 the latter being generally without such a margin ; but I am 

 very doubtful of this synonymy. The width of this pale 

 margin in species with a dark disc and wide margins is very 

 variable — e>.g., thoracica, Saund.; latithorax, Thorn.; vitti- 

 collis, Macl. ; pictipes, Blackb. ; tricolorata, Waterh. ; while 

 some species vary in the amount of red colouration which 

 takes the place of the usual metallic surface of the pronotum, 

 as in parryi, Hope; caroli, Blackb. Maculiventris, Macl., 

 is extremely variable in pattern; the type has the elytra 

 orange-yellow, sanguineous towards apex, with a spot on the 

 suture behind the scutellum, a postmedial fascia, and an 

 apical patch dark-green; but the postscutellary spot is some- 

 times widened into a short fascia, there is often a wide 

 preapical spot, sometimes shortly fasciate, while the suture 

 is more or less widely dark. It is one of the largest of the 

 subdivision Castiarina, having simple tarsal claws, and is 

 wrongly placed with Themogna t ha in the "Genera Insectorum." 

 The colour of the abdomen is variable, probably sexual, some- 

 times brassy-green with yellow T spots at the sides ; in other 

 examples the abdomen is almost wholly yellow, the margins 

 of segments only laeing green. The apex has a fringe of long 

 yellow hair. 



Melanism is of rare occurrence in the genus, but I have 

 seen the variety of variabilis, Don., with the whole upper- 

 surface black, except the yellow band to the prothorax, known 

 as nigripennis, C. and G. What is more common is a tendency 

 for the colour of the fasciae (in fasciated species) to spread 

 more or less, sometimes wholly, over the surface of the elytra. 

 Thus cruentata, Kirby, is an evident variety of vegefa, Hope. 

 There is a wholly-blue specimen of yarelli, C. and G., in the 

 Macleay Museum, and Mr. H. W. Brown has two beautiful 

 olue-green specimens of conspicillata, White, while there is 

 a well-known variety of cyanicollis, Boisd., found in Victoria 

 and Tasmania, which I believe is the species described as 

 viridis, C. and G. It is possible that the charming little 

 species described infra as lead may be another local variety of 



