1 Fesz., 1902.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 135 
DEscrIPrion. 
The insect now under notice may be thus described :— 
The Female.—VYhe female Dielis formosus, that greatly exceeds the 
opposite sex in size, has the general appearance of a large honey bee, with 
elongated hind-body. In size it is very variable, ranging from 24 mm.* to 
28 mm. in length, and having a wing expansion of from 32 mm. to 36 mm. 
Its ground colour is black, but this is almost concealed by special markings. 
Coarse punctures occur upon the upper surface of the mid-body. On the 
head behind each eye is a narrow yellow bar, and occupying widely the hinder 
portions of the first, second, and third segments of the hind-body are con- 
spicuous broad orange-yellow bands, of which the second has its fore margin 
waved. The bands are not continued on the under surface, and the first three 
are suddenly narrowed before terminating abruptly at the sides. Each 
band is fringed behind by two lines of decumbent straight orange-coloured hairs; 
those constituting the hinder of the two being especially numerous. The 
hairs fringing the fourth segment, as well as those densely clothing the 
succeeding ones, are of a dark-brown colour. On the under surface of the 
abdomen there are corresponding fringes, but these are white. They occur upon 
the hind borders of the second, third, and fourth segments. The remainder of 
the body is clothed with conspicuous long curved gray pubescence, and this is 
especially well developed upon the face and legs ; that in the former situation 
having a yellowish hue of colour. Long stiff reddish-brown hairs also occur on 
the under surface of the jaws and upon the upper lip (labrum). The wings 
are pale smoke coloured, and are suffused with yellow behind the fore 
borders and towards their bases, this being especially noticeable in the 
front pair. They have, moreover, faint violet reflections. The wing-veins 
that do not extend to the outer border of the wing are stout and of a 
yellowish brown colour. The legs are both strong and long, and are 
endowed with stout spines that are especially noticeable towards the 
termination of the tibia and on the tarsal joints of the front pair. The 
broad tibie of the hind legs has a series of broken ridges with deep intervening 
grooves crossing its upper surface, and has stout spines along each side and 
two exceptionally long terminal spur-like ones. The 12-jointed feelers 
(antenne) are stout curved and hairless, and of a dull black colour. The jaws 
(or mandibles) are both large and stout; they are curved also, and when at rest 
form a bow in front of the head. The eyes are large, pale-coloured, and deeply 
excavated along their fore-borders. 
The Male.—This is-a smaller and much narrower bodied insect. than its 
consort, and varies greatly in size: measuring from 13 mm. to 20 mm. in length, 
and having a wing expansion of 21 mm. to 31 mm. Its ground colour is also 
black. It is marked with lemon-yellow (instead of orange-yellow as in the 
female), and the markings themselves have the following disposition :—The 
hind-body has a conspicuous broad band above, crossing the hinder portion of 
each of the first, second, and third segments. These gradate hindwards into 
creamy-white bands, that occupy a similar position on the fourth, fifth, and 
sixth segments. There is also a band on the seventh that is ill-defined. 
These bands, except the first, are continued on the under surface of the hind- 
body, that on the second segment having adjoining it on its fore-border a 
yellow spot also. There are, further, a large yellow spot enclosing a dark 
point on the clypeus or front portion of the head, two small spots of this 
colour on the top of the head; a band occupying the prothorax, or collar, of 
the mid-body ; one at the base above of each wing and two short broad bars in 
the centre of the mid-body, above, behind the origin of the wings. The legs 
have also a yellow stripe along the under surface of each femur, and the upper 
and fore side of each tibia. The first tarsal joint of the first and second leg is 
also of this colour. The body is clothed with fine whitish pubescence, and the 
hindmost extremity terminates in three backwardly-directed sharp spines. The 
* A millimetre (mm.) is approximately ~, inch. 
