A PHILIPPINE NEMESTRINID (DIPTERA) 
By CHARLES S. BANKS 
Chief, Division of Entomology, Bureau of Science, Manila 
ONE PLATE 
That a family of insects, containing representatives so large 
and so conspicuous both in coloring and habits as the Nemes- 
trinide, should have escaped the attention of collectors in these 
Islands is certainly one of the best evidences of the vagaries of 
natural-history exploration. However, the fact that no member 
of this family has been hitherto reported from the Philippines 
is not so remarkable in the light of the further fact that since 
Kertész’s 1 work was published in 1909, but eight species in 
five genera, cne of which is new, have been described from the 
Oriental region: three from Ceylon, one from Formosa, one from 
New Guinea, and three from Australia. Two of the species 
from Ceylon and the one from Formosa belong to the genus which 
has come to light in the Philippine Islands, namely Hirmoneura. 
That other species of this genus will be found in the Philippines 
is almost certain, since it is now known to be distributed through 
from Australia to Formosa along what we may term a natural 
bridge. We should likewise expect to find members of the 
closely related genera: Trichopthalmus, most of the species of 
which are from Australia but so far only reported from that 
country, Tasmania, and Chile, with one doubtful African record, 
and Atriadops reported from Sumatra, Java, and China in addi- 
tion to a single species recorded from Africa. 
The species here recorded is described as new, its characteris- 
tics being quite unlike those of any species noted from this region, 
in fact it bears little resemblance to any other member of the 
genus, especially in size. 
The type specimen was taken by me in a clearing in rather 
dense forest on a bright day in June, flying near the ground 
much after the fashion of the Bombylide. It was at first sup- 
posed to be a member of this family, and it was only when the 
* Kertész, Cat. Dipt. hucus. Descr., Budapestini 4 (1909) 22-32. 
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