83 



Cr.), or merely truncate (e.g., macularia, Don.), while that 

 of the female is rounded. The male is generally smaller 

 (markedly so in imperialis, n. sp.), narrower, and more 

 attenuated behind. In some species (e.g., chrrrohtti, Gehin. ; 

 rtichei, C. and G.) the female has a finely-forked ovipositor, 

 to be found in many others only by dissection. I have not 

 observed the sexual variation in density of punctures, noted 

 by Blackburn, except perhaps in pubicollis, Waterh., in which 

 the male has the thorax densely clothed with long hairs, the 

 female having only a slightly pubescent surface. In such 

 cases the density of hair is accompanied by a corresponding 

 coarseness of sculpture. A more obvious sexual variation 

 occurs in a few species in the colour of the abdomen. Thus 

 in alternata, Lumh., the largest and most beautiful of the 

 section Castiarina, the male has a yellow abdomen, while that 

 of the female is dark-green, with lateral yellow spots; simi- 

 larly with maculiventris, Macl. In jekelU, Saund., and 

 -cruenta, C. and G., the male has a yellow, while the female 

 has a dark metallic abdomen. In immaculata, Cart., the 

 pronotum and whole underside of the male is bright metallic- 

 green, the corresponding parts of the female being brilliant- 

 golden-copper. In imperialis, n. sp., the male is not only 

 much smaller than the female, but the elytra are without 

 the fascia found in the female. In the nearly-related species, 

 duboulayi, Saund., and macfarlanei, Waterh., the male has 

 one fascia, the female two fasciae, besides the dark apex to 

 the elytra. In conspicillata, White, the male has only the 

 apex of a dark colour, while the female has two fasciae as well 

 as the apex so coloured. 



S. oleata, Blackb. — Mr. H. W. Brown has taken a long 

 series of this fine species at Yalgoo, Western Australia, of 

 which seven specimens are before me — two male, five female. 

 The author evidently had some doubt as to the male specimen 

 described by him being conspecific with the female by his note 

 of interrogation affixed thereto. I have little doubt that the 

 male so described is that of another species, while there is 

 some doubt as to his diagnosis of the sex of the female 

 specimen described. I therefore append notes on the colour 

 markings of the specimens before me. 



c? . (a) Head, legs, and underside blue-black, the last 

 three segments of abdomen red with dark margins; 

 prothorax orange-red with narrow basal margin 

 dark ; elytra blue-black with medial fascia 

 expanded laterallv and wide preapical fascia 

 connected narrowly at sides with the former 

 orange-red, also a few small orange spots near 

 basal margin. 



