112 EMPID^. 



approximatee ; articvili primus et secuudus brevissimi ; primus sub- 

 cylindricus ; secuudus cyatbifonnis ; tertius longus, compressus, 

 subuliformis, quinto longior ; quartus et quintus bi'evissimi ; quintus 

 stylatus. Thorax ovatus, gibbosus. Vena ciibltaUs simplex ; vence 

 externo-medice 3. Alulse integrfe, angustae, ciliata?. Coxa; femoribus 

 hreviores. Pedes postici auterioribus pauUo lougiores, femora postica 

 subincrassata, subtus plerumque spinulosa; tibi(Z postica arcuatce, 

 femoribus breviores. 

 Mas. Oculi conuexi. Anus obtusus. 

 Fcem. Oculi paullo discreti. Anus acuminatus. 



Body black, rather long, smooth, shining. Head round. Eyes 

 red, parted above by a suture ; all the facets very small. Ocelli 3, on 

 the crown. Proboscis horizontal, sliorter than the head. Palpi dilated, 

 compressed. Antennse 5 -jointed, porrect, longer than the head, ap- 

 proximate at the base ; first and second joints very short, of equal 

 length ; first almost cylindrical ; second cyathiform ; third comjiressed, 

 subuliform, longer than the fifth ; fom-th and fifth very small, hardly 

 visible; fifth stylate. Thorax oval, gibbose. Wings large, obtuse, 

 very finely pubescent ; cubital vein simple ; 3 externo-medial veins arising 

 from a trapeziform discal areolet. Alulse entire, narrow, fringed. 

 Halteres uncovered, with large knobs. Abdomen with 7 segments, 

 cylindrical, pubescent. Coxa shorter than the femora ; anterior legs 

 slender, of equal length ; hind legs long ; hind femora thick, bristly 

 beneath from the middle to the tips ; hind tibia curved, shorter than the 

 femora. 



Male. Eyes united. Abdomen obtuse at the tip. 

 Jem. Eyes parted by a narrow interval. Tip of the abdomen 

 acuminated. 



These flies inliabit the leaves of shrubs, and herbage iu woods ; 

 they move slowly ; their flight is heavy, and they often hover in 

 the air. The female lays its eggs in the decayed trunks of trees. 

 The difi^erence between (Edalea and the typical Microphori con- 

 sists in the shorter curved hind tibias, and somewhat thicker 

 and spined hiud femora, and rather longer proboscis of the 

 former. 



1. stigmatella, Ztt. d. s. i. 216. 2 (1842). Nigra, antennis 

 fuscis, alis subfnscis, abdominis basi fusca subtus fulva, pedibus fulvis, 

 tibiis posticis tarsisque fuscis. Long. If ; alar. 3-1- lin. 



Black, shining, thinly clothed with tawny hahs. Proboscis and 

 antenna brown. Wings slightly tinged with brown ; stigma brown. 

 Halteres yellow. Abdomen glossy at the base, brown above, tawny 

 beneath. Legs tawny, clothed with short yellow liairs ; hind femora 

 armed beneath with black spines ; tarsi and hind tibiae brown ; an- 

 terior tibia? sometimes dark tawny. Male. Abdomen silky. Hind 

 femora brown on nearly half the length from the tips. Fern. Pleurae 



