234 SYRPHID^. 



Obscure cinereous. Wings colourless, with a faint brown costal spot. 

 Ilalteres white. Legs dusky yellow ; femora and middle of hind tibia 

 brotcn. 



Rare. (E.) In Mr. Haliday's collection. 



Family XXV. SYRPHIDiE. 



Syrphid^, Lcli. ; Wtw. Syrphice, LI. g. e. ; Lm. ; St. F. et Srv. ; 

 Mq. Syrphii, Mq. Syrphides, LI. r. a. Hyrphidia p., Efnq. 

 Syrphici, Flu. ; Ztt. ; Ags. Sclerostoma p., Dmr. Aplocera p., Dmr. 

 Chetolona p., Dmr. SyrpUina, Nwm. Syrphoides, Bmr. Sirphina, 

 Rdn. 



Proboscis porrecta, hasi geniculata, maxilUs et palpis basi connatis. An- 

 tenna articido tertio compresso, arista B-articulata, articulis pe- 

 nultimis minutis aut indistinctis. Ala lobo axillari rotundato ; 

 vena ambieute nulla, cubitali simplici, spuriis binis ; areola altera 

 completa juxta discalem propi^is apicem, bracliiali utraque et anali alse 

 dimidium circiter attiugeutibus. Abdomen segmentis 5 (raro pluri- 

 bus). Tibiae mnticse. 



Body large or middle-sized ; ovate, oblong, or linear ; more or less 

 covered with short pubescence or soft hairs, very rarely a few stiff 

 bristles intermixed on the thorax ( Volucella, Chrysoclamis) ; colours often 

 brilliant, sometimes metallic, yellow predominating in the markings. 

 Head about as broad as the thorax ; eyes not touching the peristoma, 

 often meeting on the front in the males, but distant in the females. 

 Occiput concave ; neck ligament very slender, so that the head is ver- 

 satile. Ocelli three in a triangle on the unarmed vertex. Face ample, 

 unarmed ; ofteu elongated downwards or forwards, and gibbous below. 

 Peristoma usually oblong, expanded, with a prominent margin, to con- 

 tain the prol)oscis Mdien retracted. jMentum developed, membranous, 

 forming a flexible fulcrum jointed at an angle with the porrected pro- 

 boscis. Labella pouting, fleshy. Labrum stout, strongly notched on 

 each side near the tip. Palpi slender, more or less connate with the se- 

 taceous maxillae, their relative length being variable, rarely very minute 

 {Microdon). Antennse ])orrected or droophig, the third joint large, 

 bearing on its upper edge, but rarely at the extremity (Ceria, CalUcera), 

 the slender terminal joints which form the arista or style ; these nor- 

 mally are three, but the first two are very short, and often become in- 

 distinct. Thorax rather depressed ; the mesosternum little sloped, not 

 entirely concealed by the fore coxa3 ; sutm'e before the wings, inter- 

 rupted in the middle ; scutelliun rather large, usually semicircidar, over- 

 hanging the metathorax. Lips of metathoracic spiracles, and a twisted 

 filiform appendage oh each side between them and the base of the 



