85 



simply pointed in the male, bidentate in the female, is very- 

 unusual. I do not know a similar case in the whole genus. 



I have noted in the tabulation special cases of variation 

 as they occurred, for convenience of reference. 



Distribution. — While the genus is exclusively peculiar to 

 Australia and adjacent islands, the species are extraordinarily 

 freakish in their distribution. A few species are very widely 

 scattered, almost over the whole continent, while the majority 

 are found in a quite limited habitat. Of the larger species 

 I know only one, rnitchelli, Hope, that is found in every one- 

 of the States; while maeidaria, Don., variabilis, Don., occur 

 over the whole of the eastern side of the continent. Of the 

 smaller species, the following are known to me as occur ring- 

 in every State: — Amphichroa , Boisd. ; burchelli, C. and G. ; 

 cyanicollis, Boisd., and its varieties; iospilota, C. and G. ; 

 S-spiJota, C. and G. ; 10-maculata, Kirby, and rufipennis,. 

 Kirby. The country extending from north-west Victoria to 

 the extreme west of Western Australia can only be considered 

 as one faunal area, and many of the. Western Australian 

 forms occur over a great part of this area. I have received 

 specimens of simulata, C. and G. ; robusta, Saund. ; jrkeIJi, 

 Saund. ; sanguineolenta, C. and G. ; pallidiventris, C. and G., 

 from widely-separated places in this great area, extending as 

 it does over thirty degrees of longitude. Besides the above, 

 there are a few species — e.g., undulata, Don.; bicincta, 

 Boisd. ; crenata, Don. ; 8-mactdata, Saund. — that occur over 

 the whole of eastern Australia. A large number, possibly 

 the greater number of species, are very local in their occur- 

 rence, and collectors will often speak of limited regions where 

 one rare species is known only to be found. Thus cydista, 

 Rainb., has only been found in a limited district near Sydney, 

 while Mr. Brown's captures in the Cue district show species 

 unknown elsewhere. 



Synonymy . 



I have placed var. only before those names which ought, 

 in my opinion, to be retained for certain constant forms, 

 sometimes peculiar to certain districts, and which may in 

 some cases prove to be distinct species, but which differ from 

 the typical form. Thus S. rufipes, Macl., is a Queensland 

 variety of octospilota, C. and G., having red femora. Again, 

 under that much-described species, rnitchelli, Hope, besides 

 the faux pas of M. Thomson, occur var. 1, qttadrispilota, 

 Saund. (a robust large form peculiar to Western Australia) ;: 

 var. 2, tasmanica , Kerr (a small Tasmanian form) ; var. 3, 

 karat tae, Blackb. (a variable form from Kangaroo Island, 

 Victoria, and southern New South Wales, generally smaller 

 and darker than the typical form). 



