AFFINITIES OF THE DIPTEROUS FAMILY PHORIU.^. 351 



In all species that I have examined the arista is three jointed, 

 the two basal joints short and the other long. It thus offers no 

 noticeable difference from the same appendage of many typical 

 Brachycera. 



Williston suggests that the Orphnephilidae have antennae com- 

 parable to those of the Phoridae except for the number of aristal 

 joints which is seven. In this case however, to judge from 



J -* 



Schiner's description l the second joint is composite like the third 

 joint of the Tabanidae, Stratiomyidae and allied forms. Whether 

 the Orphnephilid antenna is in reality three-jointed I am unable 

 to say, but the annulation of the second apical joint finds no 

 counterpart among the Phorida?. 



Williston believes that the palpi are two-jointed, and bases a 

 part of his argument for nemoceran affinities on this supposition. 

 From my own observation I do not believe however, that such is 

 the case, nor can I find any reference to this effect in the litera- 

 ture and published figures at hand, 2 with the exception of a single 

 diagram by Dahl ('99, p. 75, Fig. 5) where he figures the palpi of 

 the East Indian Pliora (Dornip/iora] dorliiii with two joints. I 

 think the accuracy of this one case can be questioned as I have 

 identified almost certainly his species among a lot of Phoridae from 

 New Guinea and find the palpi single jointed as usual. Becker 

 ('01) gives careful figures of the head with palpi in a number of 

 genera 3 but in each case there is no indication of more than a 

 single joint. I have studied with great care the mouthparts of 

 several of the subapterous myrmecophilous genera, but have 

 found no trace of a second joint. Fig. 2. is reproduced from a 

 drawing of one of these species in which there is no trace of any 

 articulation. The palpi of the Phoridae are always large, and are 

 in some instances immensely swollen (c. g. t Pliora palposa Zett. 

 and Apltioclueta magnipalpis Aldrich ^) but in other respects 



1 In " Fauna Austriaca," II., 643, he says of the Orphnephilidae : Fiihler nahe am 

 Mundrande stehend,kurz und so sich darstellend, als ob sie aus einem runden ersten, 

 eineni ovalen zweiten und einer Endborste bestiinden ; bei mikroscopischer Unter- 

 suchung zeigt sich, dass das zweite ovale Glied aus drei und die Endborste aus sieben 

 walzenformigen Gliedern besteht, deren letztes am Ende borstig 1st. 



2 After this paper had gone to press, Dr. Williston called my attention to another 

 published paper by Wesche (Jonrn. I\ . Alicr. Soc., 1904) in which Phorid palpi are 

 figured as two-jointed. 



3 Phora, Hypocera, Aphioili<eta, Trineura and Metopina. 



