14 MUSCID^. 



veins black, ferruginous at the base. Abdomen tcitk a hand of white 

 tomentum on ike fore border of each segment. 



Eare. In the collections of Mi*. Desvignes and of the late 

 Mr. Stephens. (E.) 



Genus VII. TACHINA. 



Tachina et MUtogramma, Meig. Zw. iv. 234 (1824). Tachina p., F.; 

 Fal. 



Caput non tumidum. Proboscis non geniculata. Abdomeyi ohlongiim, 



convexum, setosum. 



Head not tumid. Proboscis straight. Abdomen oblong, convex, bristly. 



In Tachina the variations of the bristles, of the antennae, and 

 of the veins of the wings, are very numerous, and serve as specific 

 distinctions rather than as characters of genera, for which they 

 have been used by Desvoidy, Macquart, and Meigen. The species 

 may be grouped thus : — 



a. Second joint of the antennse very long ; third generally very short. — 

 Tachina A, Meig. Zw. iv. 239. pi. 40. f. 1, 5, 22. — Echinomyia, 

 Dumr. H. N. (1807) ; Latr. ; Mcq.; Westw.; Meig. Zw. vii.; Zett.— 

 Macromydce, Desv. Facialia not bristly. Frontalia widening from the 

 ocelli to the eyes, with numerous black bristles along tlieir borders, 

 two very stout bristles on each side behind ; face with a slight furrow 

 on each side ; epistoma prominent, with a few bristles on each 

 side, one of them very stout ; peristoma with bristles along each 

 border ; eyes bare ; proboscis piceous. Fourth and fifth joints of 

 the antennae very distinct ; sixth bare ; costal vein ending when the 

 praebrachial meets it at some distance in front of the tip of the wing ; 

 subcostal vein ending at more than one-third of the length of the 

 fore border ; mediastinal vein ending at less than two-thirds of the 

 length of the fore border ; radial vein ending at about four-fifths of 

 the length of the fore border ; cubital vein joining the costal very 

 near its tip. 

 b. Second joint of the antennae more than four times longer than 



deep. Species 1. 

 b b. Second joint of the antennae more than thrice longer than deep. 



c. Third joint of the antennae much shorter than the second. 

 d. Palpi filiform. Species 2, 8. 

 d d. Palpi subclavate. Species 4. 



c c. Third joint of the antennae a little or hardly shorter than the 

 second. Species 5, 6. 

 a a. Third joint of the antenmc longer than the second, but not twice 

 its \vA\gi\\.— Tachina B, Meig. Zw. iv. 24(). pi. 40. f. 2. — Tachinarice 

 p., Desv. — Tachina p., Mcq. — Vlrjiia, Desv.; Mcq. 



