Nov., '07] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 39 1 



genus, although a number of related species have been de- 

 scribed from Europe and North America. 



Following is the description of both sexes of the species, 

 which I have named in honor of its discoverer, who has done so 

 much toward making known the remarkable insect fauna of 



the Cape. 



Aphiochaeta braunsi sp. nov. 



Male. Length 2 mm. Shining black ; the antennas, palpi, and most 

 of the legs and scutellum yellow or luteous. Wings hyaline, infus- 

 cated at the tips. Front long and polished. Head rather small, the 

 front twice as high as wide, smooth, polished black, the vertex sharp 

 and narrowly reflexed ; one pair of approximated proclinate bristles; a 

 reclinate one at each lower corner ; next row above consisting of only 

 one pair close to the eye margin ; following row very strongly curved 

 upward medially; upper row of four normally placed. Antennae small, 

 ovate, honev-yellow ; arista dorsal, very finely pubescent, almost bare ; 

 apical aristal joint black. Palpi small, very stout and thick, bristly at 

 the tips. Postocular cilia delicate, cheeks each with a single macro- 

 chasta. Eyes large, slightly pubescent ; no ocellar tubercle or median 

 frontal groove. Mesonotum subshining, black, tinged with luteous at 

 the root of the wing; with one pair of dorsocentral macrochsetse and 

 four strong scutellar bristles. Scutellum one-half wider than long, 

 piceous or brownish. Abdomen very stout and thick entirely shining 

 black, except for the honey-yellow hypopygial lamella ; second segment 

 not lengthened although it is the longest, with the following gradually 

 growing shorter; no bristles at the sides of the second segment. 

 Pleurae subshining, black. Legs arid coxae luteous, tips of hind femora 

 and four posterior tarsi infuscated. The legs are unusually short and 

 stout, especially the posterior femora which are about one-third as broad 

 as long, suddenly narrowed at the tip and faintly ciliate below. Tibiae 

 very strongly bristly, even the anterior pair with distinct setulae; those on 

 the middle and posterior pairs as long or longer than the diameter of 

 the tibiae ; tibial spurs rather short. Wings hyaline, the apex with a 

 grayish cloud; costal vein reaching slightly beyond the middle, with 

 very fine, short and thickly placed bristles. First and third vein-. 

 straight, the first twice as far from the humeral cross-vein as from the 

 tip of the third; third furcate very near the tip. the cell thus formed 

 very small and narrow, almost linear ; first light vein straight except 

 at the extreme base, following nearly straight ; fourth light vein dis- 

 tinct. Both the heavy and light veins are black or very dark piceous. 

 Halteres pale. 



Female. Larger, 3.5 mm, but otherwise differing only slightly in 

 color. The side margins of the mesonotum behind the insertion of the 

 wing and most of the scutellum are luteous, while the fourth and fifth 



