BERIS. 11 



These insects inhabit flowers and herbage during the summer. 

 B. clavi2)es and B. vallata frequent open meadows ; the otlier 

 species are more often found in woods. 

 a. Abdomen yellow. Species 1, 3. 

 a a. Abdomen metaUic or black. Species 3-6. 



1. clavipes, L. s. n. ii. 981. 12 (1767); Fb. ; Shr. ; Gm. ; Pz. ; 

 Gf. ; LI. ; Mg. ; Flu. ; Mq. ; Ztt. ; \.\N .—nigra, Gf. Nigra, scutello 

 sex-spiuoso, aUs fuscis, abdomine luteo secjmtnlis fusco-fanciuiis, pedibus 

 luteis, tarsis nigris, tibiis anterioribus fuscis basi liavis ; Mas. abdomine 

 basi nigro. Long. 3^-3 ; alar. 5-6 lin. 



Black, thinly clothed with tawny hairs. Proboscis tawny. Scutcllum 

 armed with 6 spines. Wings brown, dark brown at the base and along 

 the fore border. Halteres yellow. Abdomen luteous ; a slender brown 

 band near the hind border of each segment. Legs luteous ; tarsi black ; 

 posterior tibise dark brown, yellow towards the base. 



Male. Abdomen black at the base. Hind metatarsus dilated. 



Generally distributed. The eggs are oval, and form a chain 

 about an inch long, being connected, in an obHquc position, side 

 by side. (E. S. I.) 



3. vallata, Ftr. n. sp. i. I. 96 (1771); Gm. ; Mg. ; Mq. ; Ztt.; 

 Lw. — nigrilarsis, LI. — clavipes, Mg. Nigra, scutello sex-spinoso, ab- 

 domine luteo, pedibus flavis, tarsis nigris, tibiis fuscis basi flavis. Long. 

 2A-2f ; alar. 4i-5i lin. 



Black, thiidy clothed with tawny hairs. Proboscis tawny. AntennEe 

 with the third joint sometimes ferruginous or tawny. Scutellum ai'med 

 with 6 spines. Halteres yeUow. Abdomen luteous. Legs yeUovv ; 

 tibiae dark browm, yellow towards the base ; tarsi black. Var. Hind 

 tibias quite yellow ; hind metatarsus tawny. Male. Wings brown. 

 Hind metatarsus sHghtly ddated. Fern. Wings colourless, yellow at 

 the base and along the fore border as far as the stigma, which is 

 brown. 



Generally distributed. (E. S. I.) 



3. chalybeata, Ftr. n. sp. i. L 95 (1771); Mg. ; Mq. — sex- 

 dentata, Fb. ; LI.; Mg. ; Ztt.; Lw. — obscura'? Mg. ; Mq. ; Ztt. — 

 jlavipes, Mq. — atra, Mg. Viridis, scutelli spinis. nigris, pedibus fulvis, 

 tarsis fuscis, metatarso postico fulvo ; Mas. alis nigro-fuscis, abdomiue 

 atro ; Fcem. frontc lata, alis fulvo-subcincrcis, abdouune picco. Long. 

 3-3i ; alar. 4-5 lin. 



Antenuct! black. Scutellum armed with 4, 6, or 8 black spines. Legs 

 tawny ; tarsi broxen. Male. Dark green, clothed with short black hairs. 

 Proboscis yellow. Wings dark brown ; stigma very dark brown. Hal- 

 teres brown. Abdomen deep black, not shining. Coxaj black. Hind 

 metatarsi dark tawny. Fern. Bright bluisli-grccn, clothed with short 

 taAvny hairs. Proboscis tawny. Wings pale <>rev, with a tawiiv tinge ; 



c 3 



