l8 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Jan., '09. 



The egg of ilia is large, slightly elliptical in outline, hemi- 

 strong meridian plications, 18 in number. Polar zone a little 

 flattened and with a slight rim, dark and looking like a hole to 

 the naked eye. The plications bifurcate once or twice in the 

 equatorial zone. Flattened on the attached side. The strong 

 white meridian plications and the dark polar zone are the chief 

 characteristics. 



The egg of ilia is large, slightly elliptical in outline, hemi- 

 spheric, dark brown, with a white equatorial line. Pole slightly 

 tubercular, but the area is without a bounding rim. Meridian 

 plications bifurcate near the equator and plications are im- 

 planted nearer the pole than usual in Catocala eggs. No dis- 

 tinct equatorial zone. Surface of attachment, flat. 



A new species of Systropus (Bombylidae). 



BY NATHAN BANKS. 



Systropus arizonicus n. sp. 



Face whitish, mouthparts and antennae black, thorax black, a yellow 

 spot over base of each anterior coxa ; a yellow stripe on each upper 

 side from humerus to wings, expanded at each end, and in front with 

 a narrow line passing down the front of thorax ; a triangular yellow 

 spot at posterior base of wings ; and a smaller yellow spot at each 

 posterior corner of the metanotum. Abdomen black at base and at tip, 

 red in middle, the last three segments black above and below ; the black 

 of basal segment extending back on dorsum of next segment as a 

 narrow dorsal line. Wings uniformly blackish, halteres brown. Legs 

 black ; the anterior and middle femora at tip and these tibiae beneath 

 yellowish; the apical fifth of hind femur, extreme base of tibia, and the 

 first tarsal joint yellow. The second joint of the antennae is about as 

 long as the third : the upper branch of third longitudinal vein is angulate 

 near base (not simply curved as in S. macer}. Length. 



From Palmerlee, Arizona (Biedermann). 



Four of the Central American species, similis, rogcrsi, ru- 

 fiventris and saUei have the first tarsal joint of hind lees pale 

 as in this species. From all of these 5". arizonicus differs in 

 having the abdomen black at both ends. It is nearer to 5". 

 similis and rogersi, but both of these have the front legs yellow, 

 and similis has a hoary median stripe on thorax, and in neither 

 are the thoracic marks the same as in S. arizonicus. The 

 three species of Karsch have black legs. The reference to 

 these species in the Aldrich Catalogue is wrong; the journal 

 is the Zeitschr. Ges. Naturw. (3) V, 1880. The S. ammophil- 

 oides of Townsend is a very different form. 



