174 Transactions. 



E. spiniger Schiner. 

 E. spiniger Schiner, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, vol. 17, p. 309 (1867) 

 Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 33, p. 4 (1901). Xylophagus 

 spiniger Wied., Ausser-Europ. Zweif. Ins., 2, p. 618 (1830) 

 Hutton, Cat. Dipt. N.Z., p. 35 ; Hudson, Man. N.Z. Entom. 

 p. 56, pi. vi, fig. 5. Beris servillei Macq., Dipt. Exot., 1, p. 176 

 pi. 21, fig. 1 (1838). Diphysa spiniger Macq., I.e., p. 172. 

 Walker (Cat. Dipt. B.M.. p. 1152) considers Beris albimacula to be a 

 probable variety of this species. 



A large elongate blue-black fly, the legs with white bands. The head 

 slightly broader than the thorax at the humeri ; eyes bare, dichoptic, more 

 so in the $, in profile occupying the whole side of head, facets of uniform 

 size, no transverse depression. Front widening toward the antennae, dark 

 shiny blue-black with short and scattered silvery reclinate hairs not affecting 

 the ground-colour ; a medio-longitudinal depression and two narrow longi- 

 tudinal grooves, one on each side toward the orbits ; immediately above 

 the antennae and occupying the first third of the front is a dense silvery- 

 white proclinate pile which in certain lights gives a dull-black reflection ; 

 there is a distinct transverse line separating the reclinate hairs of the front 

 from the pile. Ocellar triangle circular and bare but surrounded by deli- 

 cate and small hairs more distinct in the $ ; ocelli brownish-yellow. Occiput 

 with dense silvery hairs, longer below. 



Face silvery-white due to tomentum, widening below, with a median 

 fissure, the angles of the epistome bare, bluish-black, and slightly projecting ; 

 the silvery tomentum lengthens towards the epistome ; facial orbits without 

 hairs but with a dense silvery- white tomentum. 



The mouth-parts retracted, of a brownish colour with a few scattered 

 black hairs. The palpi, as far as I am able to discern, are 2-jointed, 

 but Schiner says that they are apparently 3-jointed. The penultimate is 

 elongate and restricted, while the ultimate is clavate ; the former is bare 

 but for long and scattered hairs arising from distinct pits, while the latter 

 is clothed by dense and short hairs, among which may be seen innumerable 

 minute pits more distinct in the $ palp (fig. 1). In the $ the 1st joint is 

 about twice as long as the 2nd, brownish but tawny distally ; the 2nd is 

 tawny except for a brown band toward the base, and terminates in 4 distinct 

 and stiff hairs which are apparently hollow. The 1st joint in the $ is not 

 much longer than the 2nd, which is without a transverse band and com- 

 pletely tawny. In the ultimate joint of the £ palp the hairs are less distinct 

 posterior to the transverse band, and the pits are here absent. 



Antennae situated a little below the middle line of head, elongate, 

 being about half the width of head in the <$ and longer in the ?, the whole 

 fusiform (fig. 2) ; 1st and 2nd joints and first third of 3rd joint reddish- 

 brown but with a darker reflection, the remainder of the 3rd joint dark 

 brown ; 1st and 2nd joints bristly, the latter about two-thirds the length 

 of the former ; 3rd joint bare, about three times the sum of the 1st and 

 2nd, composed of 8 segments, and terminating in a tuft of apical hairs ; 

 the ultimate segment is about one-third the length of the whole ; the 1st 

 segment is a little longer than the 2nd joint and broader than any other 

 part of the antenna. 



Thorax longer than broad, shiny bluish-black, with short and sparse 

 golden tomentum on the dorsum which becomes longer and silvery on the 

 pleurae ; a tubercle before the articulation of the wing and a brown and 

 shiny ridge along the dorso-pleural suture interrupted in the middle ; 

 the tomentum on the humeri is denser. Scutellum large, coloured and 



