158 The Ohio Journal of Science [Vol. XIX, No. 2, 



Laphria trux new species. 



Mystax golden; beard, coxal hair and tufts before halteres yellowish- 

 white. Pile of occiput, thorax in general, most of the first three segments 

 of abdomen, hypopygium and legs in general black. The legs have 

 some yellowish white hairs especially beneath and the usual short velvety 

 ferruginous pile inside front tibige and tarsi. The scutellum and a 

 several times larger patch on thorax just in front of it are covered with 

 long, recumbent slightly yellowish white hairs. Nearly half of the 

 third segment and all of the remaining upper surface of abdomen is 

 densely covered with close-lying orange-red pile. The integument 

 is black. Wings brownish, some of the cells clearer within. Hypopygium 

 large, of a very inflated and oblique type; inner apical process, striate, 

 narrowed, curved, longitudinally twisted and slightly elevated toward 

 apex, (Figs 11, 11a). A tuft of 4 strong bristles arising near base of 

 this process forcibly suggests the origin of the median lamella seen on 

 the forceps of some other species of Laphria. Length 27 mm. 



The above is the description of a male from Los Angeles 

 Co., Calif., Coquillett, (U. S. N. M.); Type. 



A male about 25 mm. in length, collected on Switzer's Trial, 

 3,500 feet, San Gabriel Mts., Calif., by F. Grinnell (Hine) 

 has the beard and coxal hair more grayish white, the mystax a 

 little paler, with a few black hairs below, the tufts in front of 

 halteres black and the recumbent hair on thorax and scutellum 

 glistening white. For the present I place this in the species 

 above described. 



The latter specimen is a step in some directions toward 

 Laphria rapax Osten Sacken,* but neither it nor the type of 

 L. trux have whitish pile on face and first tw^o abdominal seg- 

 ments, nor hair under antennae altogether black, as stated in 

 the original description of rapax. 



The material I have seen suggests that there may be a 

 series of species or at least subspecies of this group in Cali- 

 fornia. The elucidation of this problem, together with that of 

 the true status of L. carbonarius Snow (discussed below) w^ould 

 be an interesting study for some one who can do considerable 

 field w^ork in the area concerned. 



Laphria trux var. audax new variety. 



Differs from trux, in smaller size (18 mm.), hair in front of halteres 

 and a few in lower part of mystax being black, and pale pile of thorax 

 being glistening white and of abdomen golden. 



* See copy of original description farther on, p. 159. 



