THE WOMBAT. 91 



Hab. In Australia on tubers of Dahlia and potatoes, 

 underground at Sydney, N. S. Wales. 



The above extracts are from Mr. Maskell's original des- 

 cription in A\ Z. Trans , 1893, anc ^ if my identification be correct, 

 the following species would appear to be very closely related 

 to it in the general characters as well as in habits. 



D. similans, Lidgett. sp. nov. Plate I., figs. 1-5. 



Adult female reddish brown in colour powdered with 

 pure white meal, so thick in most cases as to obscure the 

 ground colour and to leave the impression that the insect is 

 pure white ; body deeply and distinctly segmented ; elliptical, 

 oniscorn or rather more flattish. A marginal fringe of 

 cylindrical cottony filaments projects at each side, being half 

 as long as the width of the body — one such filament springing 

 from each segment ; the two on the last abdominal segment 

 being twice as long as the rest, and between them there is 

 generally much cotton ; anal tubercles small and incon- 

 spicuous, forming at gestation a large white cottony ovisac 

 containing brown oval eggs. 



Feet long and slender, the second pair projecting beyond 

 the body when walking, dark red in colour ; upper digitules 

 fine hairs, lower pair much shorter ; antennae of eight joints, 

 sub-equal, each joint bearing several hairs. 



Length, i in. to i in. Width, tV* in. 



Larvae white ; elliptical, convex, active. Feet long and 

 slender ; antenna? of six joints. Length, sV in. 



Male unknown. 



Hab. In Victoria underground on roots of daphne at 

 Myrniong. 



It was thought necessary to include a brief description 

 of D. affinis, Maskell, as this insect seems to come very near to 

 it and indeed to all other Victorian subterranean species, but 

 it differs from them all in the granular character of the 

 mealy or cottony secretion. D. similans is larger than D. 

 ajfinis, and the long single projecting fringe is sufficient to 

 separate it. It offers an approach to D. adonidum, Linn., but 

 then there are no signs of the " dorsal band " and D. adonidum 

 is aerial, while D. similans is clearly subterranean. 



