36 Annals of the South African Museum. 



base it shows an annular swelling winch has the shape of a supple- 

 mentary joint of a lighter brownish colour ; in addition the antennae 

 are distinctly separated at base a feature never so developed in the 

 true Bombylius, chiefly in those of the group miccm*. Mouth-opening 

 very broad, the praelabrum being very large and prominent and of a 

 rather shining, black colour ; proboscis short and thick, 8 mm. long ; 

 occipital hairs very long, those near the eye black, the other yellowish. 

 Thorax black, clothed with rather long, yellowish-grey hairs, which,, 

 seen from the front, are shining white ; there are on the sides and on 

 the hind part numerous but thin, black bristly hairs longer than the 

 usual pubescence ; there are besides two rows of such hairs along the 

 dorsocemral lines ; on the pleurae these black hairs ai'e more numerous, 

 and sometimes the pleurae are entirely black-haired. Scutellum 

 entirely black, clothed like the thorax, and with similar black bristles 

 on the hind border and even on the disc. Squamae brownish, with a 

 long yellow fringe ; halteres with a blackish knob. Abdomen altogether 

 of an opaque velvety black colour, like the thorax and scutellum, and 

 clothed with similar hairs ; there are rows of black, bristly hairs on 

 the hind borders of the segments and tufts of black hairs at the apex 

 and on the sides underneath, the venter being much darker-haired than 

 the upper side. Legs reddish yellow, but the femora more or less 

 black near the base, and sometimes almost entirely black ; tarsi also 

 blackened at end on the upper side ; the femora are destitute of silvery 

 scales, but are clothed with very long black hairs ; those of the hind 

 pair are absolutely without spines underneath ; all the spines of the 

 tibiae and tarsi are black ; those of the four anterior tibiae are longer 

 than usual ; claws very short, black, with reddish base ; pulvilli yellow, 

 about as long as the claws. Wings greyish-hyaline, rather narrow 

 and cuneiform, hardly faintly infuscated at the extreme base and along 

 the fore border ; veins yellow, blackened at end ; basal comb very 

 little developed, almost wanting ; upper branch of the cubital fork 

 much retreating at base without recurrent veiulet ; first posterior cell 

 broad, acute at end and moderately stalked ; discal cross-vein on the 

 last third of the discoidal cell, which is rather narrow and rather 

 attenuated outwardly, the cross-vein dividing it from the second 

 posterior cell being short ; second and third posterior cells almost of 

 equal size. 



SYSTOECHUS, Loew. 

 Neue Beitr. iii, p. 34, 1855. 



This genus seems to be well represented in the South African fauna. 

 The species are rather difficult to separate, as already stated by Loew ; 



