234 



narrowed towards base, the apical half thickened, apex bluntly- 

 pointed. Thorax with a band of golden pubescence imme- 

 diately in front of the suture, narrowed or broadly inter- 

 rupted in the middle ; lateral and posterior margins sparingly 

 golden pubescent ; the presutural band is carried down over 

 the pleurae. Scutellum transverse, rounded, unarmed, with 

 distinct golden pubescence on disc. Abdomen petiolate, first 

 and second segments about half as broad as thorax, the first 

 short and thickened basally, the third to fifth segments 

 together elongate, ovate, but slightly broader than thorax ; 

 first segment with a group of yellowish white hairs at the 

 sides ; second segment shining and only granulose on apical 

 half, ridged in the middle, broadly yellowish laterally at 

 middle and narrowly on posterior margin, posterior margin 

 especially laterally, with golden pubescence; third and fourth 

 segments with scattered golden hairs and broad apical, trans- 

 verse, golden fasciae formed of thickly-placed golden hairs, 

 but imperfectly interrupted at middle ; fifth segment with 

 golden pubescence becoming denser towards apex ; ovipositor 

 bifid, pale-ferruginous, slightly hairy. Legs pale-ferru- 

 ginous tinged with brown, femora mostly black, the apices 

 pale-ferruginous ; tibiae thickened on apical half and some- 

 what curved, medianly more or less darkened ; tarsi broader 

 than tibiae, the joints very short ; all the legs with dense, 

 short, yellowish white hairs ; mid femora with long pubes- 

 cence on posterior surface. Wings infuscated from base to 

 middle of first posterior cell above fourth vein, beyond this 

 point above third vein, broad infuscations along fifth vein, 

 cross-veins, and particularly the veins closing first posterior 

 and discal cells ; veins black ; venation typical for Microdon, 

 the stump of third vein projecting about half-way across first 

 posterior cell, last section of fourth vein straight, nearly 

 rectangular with third vein, a minute stump at angulation ; 

 anterior cross-vein but slightly more than its own length from 

 base of discal. Halteres ferruginous. Length, 7-9 mm. 



Ararat, Victoria, Australia (H. W. Davey), five 

 specimens reared from larvae in ants' nest. 



The puparium is of the shape usual in Microdon, elongate- 

 elliptical, nearly straight-sided with very slight indications 

 of constrictions near the middle, strongly convex, the ventral 

 surface (by which it is attached) perfectly flat ; colour 

 ferruginous-yellow, the margin slightly darker, thoracic horns 

 ferruginous-brown, posterior respiratory horn reddish-brown, 

 pruinose ; the dorsal surface shows a median longitudinal 

 crease extending the entire length to the posterior respiratory 

 tubercle ; on each side of this the surface is broken into 

 reticulations, larger and forming fairly regular rows towards 



