Miller. — The Diptera Fauna of New Zealand. 333 



angles of 1st segment ; 3rd segment with a dome-shaped greyish-yellow 

 spot on the black part in the middle at posterior margin ; 4th segment with 

 a much larger spot in middle at posterior margin, the orange-red of this 

 segment confined to the anterior margin at each side, the remainder of 

 the segment greyish-yellow except for the black, arranged as in fig. 84 ; 

 5th segment yellowish-grey, except for a median rectangular spot from 

 anterior margin and for the brownish-yellow apex ; 4th and 5th segments 

 clothed with long tawny hairs ; the sides of 1st and 2nd segments with 

 golden hairs. 



$. Length, 14 mm. 



Holotype : No. 1245, D. M. 



Habitat. — Day's Bay (E. H. Atkinson) ; Otira (J. E. Harris). 



Genus Merodon Meigen (1803).* 



This genus is readily recognized by the hairy and bee-like nature of the 

 species ; the open cell R l9 together with the recurrent vein M 1; the elongated 

 cell M, and the shortened cell 1st M 2 ; the extraordinarily large triangular 

 process near the apex of the posterior femora on the underside ; the 

 swelling on the underside of the posterior tibiae just beyond the middle ; 

 and the apical inferior process. 



There is only one species found in New Zealand, and that is the 

 European narcissus-fly (M. equestris Fabr.) (Plate LI, fig. 2). The general 

 colour is black and the wings clear ; the thorax and abdomen are clothed 

 with a dense pile, orange on anterior half of thorax and posterior half of 

 abdomen but otherwise black. The head is clothed with golden pile, and 

 in the male the eyes meet at a point on the middle of the front. 



The larvae are fleshy maggots, and are well known for their attacks 

 upon imported narcissi and other bulbs. This species is not universally 

 established in New Zealand, but the adults have been found at Christ- 

 church, Wellington, and Auckland. 



Length, 11-14 mm. 



Genus Eristalis Latr. (1804). f 



This genus may be recognized by the hairy eyes, holoptic in the male ; 

 the pilose thorax and hairy legs, and the closed cell H 1 . 



The only species found in New Zealand is the European drone-fly 

 (E. tenax Linn.) (Plate LI, fig. 3), which has become thoroughly established 

 throughout the country and is one of our most common insects. The 

 abdomen has a pair of transverse yellow triangular spots on the 2nd seg- 

 ment, the posterior margin of which is also yellow ; there is also a pair of 

 similar, but much smaller, spots on the 3rd segment. A considerable 

 amount of variation occurs both in size and colour, the abdomen, for 

 example, being at times completely blackish-brown. The larvae of the 

 drone-fly are of the well-known " rat-tailed " type, frequenting weedy ponds 

 and decaying filth (Plate LII, fig. 3). 



Length, 11-16 mm. 



* Coquillett {Type, Species of N. Amer. Dipt., 1910) states that Merodon Meig. is a 

 synonym of Lampetia Meig. (1800). 



f Coquillett (I.e.) considers that Eristalis Latr. (1804) is a synonym of Tubifera 

 Meig. (1800). 



