296 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [November, 



The species will be readily distinguished by its small size, dark 

 head and abdomen and contrasting thorax and slender build. 

 The specimens are uniform in respect to the specific characters, 

 and show no intergrades with other species. Allied to B. petio- 

 latus Fox, from Lower California. 



-o- 



PHOTOPSIS versus BRACHYCISTIS. 



By WILLIAM J. Fox. 



In 1871,* Blake described a genus under the name of Agama, 

 which name he subsequently changed to Photopsis, the first men- 

 tioned being pre-occupied. The original description is as follows : 



Body unicolorous, smooth and shining. Head transverse ; eyes large, 

 round and prominent ; ocelli large ; antennae long and slender. Thorax 

 narrowed posteriorly. Wings hyaline, sometimes slightly clouded, stigma 

 prominent. Abdomen sparsely clothed with pubescence, basal segment 

 more or less petiolate, apex $ furnished with two minute recurved 

 spines. Female unknown. 



No type of the genus was mentioned. 



A study of the species included in Photopsis will show that very 

 few of them really fit the above description, as many are strongly 

 punctured, the antennae not long (not longer than in the males 

 of Sphcsrophthalma), the color of the wings varies considerably, 

 and the abdomen is usually rather densely pubescent. 



The only character worthy of importance in which these forms 

 agree with the above description is that they possess two spines 

 at apex of abdomen. 



In i893,f I described a new genus, to contain a number of 

 smooth bodied, sparsely haired forms, which differed also from 

 the usual type known as Photopsis, in having but one spur at apex 

 of middle tibiae, very long antennae, and large stigma. Under 

 this genus which I called Brachycistis, I placed the following 

 species, previously known as Photopsis: 



P. ampla Bl., nitida Cr. , alcanor Bl., atrata Bl., sobrina Bl., 

 lepida BL, castanea Cr. , glabrella Cr. , and a new species, 

 petiolatus. 



Since describing this genus, I find it fits Blake's original descrip- 

 tion of Photopsis (= Agama) very well, except in one important 



* Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 



t Proc. Calif. Acad. Sciences, ser. 2, vol. iv. 



