96 Annals of the South African Museum. 



long; palpi black, with yellowish hairs. The thoracic pattern is very 

 striking ; the hairs and the pubescence are in the male yellower and 

 longer, in the female whiter ; but on the sides, on the posterior half 

 and on the scutellum there are some scattered blackish hairs. Squamae 

 dirty yellowish, with pale hairs ; halteres yellow, with the knob black- 

 spotted below. Tomentum of the abdomen golden-yellow in the 

 male and yellowish -grey in the female ; the venter is grey, with paler 

 hind borders of the segments. Male genitalia yellowish-red, the 

 inferior appendices bearing in the inner part a strong black hook ; 

 female genitalia yellowish, the last abdominal segment being open and 

 bearing below a horn-like process ; the ovipositor is tubular, with the 

 basal joint much greater. Legs with the coxae blackish-grey, with 

 yellow end ; in the female the front femora are in the greater part 

 black with yellow end, and yellow on the inner side ; the femora are 

 whitish tomeutose, and have very scarce and short whitish hairs 

 below ; the greater part of the tarsi is black, chiefly in the female, 

 in which they are much thickened ; claws black ; pulvilli dark. 

 Wings with black veins. 



PHTHIRIA, Meig. 



Illiger's Mag. f. Ins., ii, p. 44, 1803. 



This genus is represented in South Africa by some characteristic 

 species, three of which are represented in the collection. 

 The species may be distinguished as follows : 



1 (2). Body black and yellow ; legs entirely reddish . laeta, sp. nor. 



2 (1). Body and legs entirely black. 



3 (4). Third antennal joint rather short and less gibbous, pubescence of 



the body short ; wings greyish hyaline . . pubescens, Bezz. 



4 (3). Third antennal joint longer and very gibbous above; pubescence 



long ; wings whitish hyaline . . . lanigera, sp. nov. 



PHTHIRIA LAETA, sp. nov. 



A yellow and black species near Phthiria nitens, Bezzi, from 

 Abyssinia, but distinguished by the quite opaque abdomen, and by 

 the different thoracic and abdominal patterns. 



Type 9 from the Transvaal, Florida, December, 1918 (E. W. E. 

 Tucker). 



$ . Length of body 5 mm. ; of proboscis 2'5 mm. ; of wing 5 mm. 

 Head reddish, quite opaque ; occiput broadly black in the middle ; 



