FAMILY OTITID.E THE PICTURED-WING FLIES 273 



In the followino- key I have not followed the usual practice of recog- 

 nizing the subfamilies, which Hendel has raised to family rank, for the 

 very good reason that I do not believe the characters used are of much 

 importance. The subfamily ''Ortalina?" (the name Ortalis is pre- 

 occupied in Ornithology and is not available) is distinguished by the 

 presence of a propleural bristle, yet this is present, though less de- 

 veloped, in the Pterocallinie, which is distinguished by its long stig- 

 matal cell, a character which is also subject to variation. As in the 

 Trupaneidag several of the genera in this family have been based upon 

 wing ])attern. The characters at present in use are undoubtedly fairly 

 stable but some of the generic characters are admittedly weak inasmuch 

 as the differences in venation might easily be connected by the discovery 

 of new forms. Hendel has published several papers dealing with the 

 family and has treated all l)ut the '"Ortalinse" in Genera Insectorum 

 (fascicles 96, 106, 113, 157). 



The genus Otites was established by Latreille in 1804 (Nouv. Diet. 

 d'Hist. Nat., xxiv, p. 196) and not in 1805 as given in catalogues. The 

 type named was viusca porcus, credited to Bosc, but this species is the 

 same as formosa Panzer. Platystomida" cannot be used for the family 

 name as Platystoma is preoccupied in IMollusca. 



KEY TO GENERA* 



1. First vein bare 2 



First vein with dorsal setulag at least on the apical third 34 



2. Costa greatly weakened or broken at end of the auxiliary vein (Rich- 



ardinae ) 3 



Costa not weakened or broken (Ulidinse) 17 



3. Posterior femora with short spines below 5 



Femora without spines below 4 



4. Head about twice as long as high (56) Coniceps Lcew 



Head not as long as high (38, 92) Epiplatea Loew 



5. Posterior femora swollen, much larger than the others; eyes sometimes 



stalked ( 14 ) Richardia Desvoidy 



Posterior femora not conspicuously swollen 6 



6. Anal vein reaching the wing margin, at least as a fold 9 



Anal vein not nearly reaching the wing margin 7 



7. Occiput very strongly narrowed at the upper third (80, 97). 



Odontomera Macquart 

 Occiput regular in outline 8 



Pareuxesta CoQuillett is omitted. 



