138 

 Stigmodera festiva, n. sp. 



PI. X., fig. 38. 



Ovate. Head, antennae, thorax, scutellum, legs, and 

 underside bronze, the first and last of these with a bluish 

 tinge ; elytra testaceous with large round spot- near each 

 shoulder, postmedial fascia and round apical spot black, the 

 fascia enlarged and rounded on suture, contracted and again 

 enlarged on each side and extending to the sides, area between 

 fascia and apical spot bright-red. 



Head deeply excavated and lightly channelled between 

 eyes ; closely and evenly punctate. P rot ho rax arcuate at apex, 

 strongly bisinuate at base, rather bulbous on each side, widest 

 near base, thence shortly contracted to the obtuse posterior 

 angles, more gently converging to the acute anterior angles ; 

 disc evenly and closely punctate, with distinct medial channel 

 terminating in a basal fovea, two small fovea near middle of 

 each lobe, and a larger depression near posterior angles. 

 Scutellum triangular, depressed, closely punctate. Elytra 

 wide and flat, of same width as prothorax at base, widening 

 strongly at shoulders and again behind middle, posterior 

 margins entire, each apex with short sutural and long external 

 spine ; punctate-striate, intervals nearly flat on centre, raised 

 at sides and apex, and minutely punctate. Prosternum 

 coarsely, the rest of underside rather finely and closely punc- 

 tate and almost glabrous. Dim., 10 x 4 mm. 



Hah. — Queensland: Rockhampton. Type in collection of 

 C. French. 



A single female specimen examined belongs to the 

 mustelamajor, Thorns., section, from its similar structure of 

 thorax and the form of the elytra, though the apical spines- 

 are less divaricate. In pattern it approaches that of hrutella, 

 Thorns., with the addition of two large round shoulder spots. 

 It is quite distinct from disjecta, Kerr., a narrower and more 

 convex species, with the red apical region less intensified. 



S. coeruleipes, Sauiid. ; var. Montana, a. var. 



There is a variety of coeruleipes, Saund., which I have 

 taken commonly at Medlow, Blue Mountains, and which only 

 differs from the typical form in the presence of two additional 

 oval postbasal yellow spots on the elytra, isolated and not 

 continuous to the sides. These were compared by Mr. C. O. 

 Waterhouse with Saunders' type, and returned with a note 

 on this distinction. As this local variation appears to be 

 constant, it is worth a name, and can be known as montana. 

 I have the typical form from North Sydney. 



