SCATOPSE. 141 



short, hidden, apparently one-jointed. Antenna) eleven-joiuted, por- 

 rect, cylindrical, rather stout, nearly nionilitbnn, a little longer than the 

 head, the eleventh joint rounded. Thorax convex, oval. Scutelluui 

 small. Wings long, bare, hyaline ; veins very distinct towards the 

 costa, indistinct in the disc of the wing ; subcostal vein proceeding 

 from near the base of the wing, varying in length ; radial proceeding 

 from the angle of the transverse vein, which bounds the prfcbrachial 

 ai'eolet, varying in length ; subapical including the ti]! of the wing be- 

 tween its forks, which commence opposite the tip of the radial vein, 

 with which its fore fork is connected by a slightly recurrent transverse 

 vein ; pobrachial vein nearly obsolete, as are also its two forks, the ex- 

 terno-medial and the subanal veins ; anal and subaxillary veins distinct, 

 the latter very undulating. Areolets twelve, — the subcostal and the 

 radial, which are partly united, the cubital, the prsebrachial, which is 

 very small, the pobrachial, which is open and imperfect, three subapical, 

 the externo-medial and the anal, which are imperfectly divided from 

 the pobrachial, the axillary, and the subaxillary. Posterior margin 

 slightly curved inward, but not angular near the base. Halteres dis- 

 tinct. Abdomen depressed, linear or obconical, with six or seven dis- 

 tinct segments, longer than the thorax. Legs simple, bare, unarmed, 

 nearly equal in size. 



Larva long, fusiform, apod, with two short points at the sides 

 of the prothorax and of the eight basal segments of the abdomen, 

 which is terminated by two elongated divergent setse. Peeds on 

 decaying vegetable or animal substances. 



The species may be grouped thus : — 

 a. Radial vein longer than two-thirds of the wing. 



b. Subcostal vein less than one-third of the wing. Species 1, 2. 



b b. Subcostal vein about one-third of the wing. Species 3. 



b b b. Subcostal vein more than one-third of the wing. Species 4-7. 

 a a. Eadial vein longer than half the wing. Species 8-12. 

 a a a. Radial vein half the length of the wing. Species 13. 

 a a a a. Radial vein one-third of the length of the wing. Species 14. 



1. notata, L. F. S. 1773 (1761); Gmel. ; Schr. ; Latr. ; Meig. ; 

 Mcq. ; Gim. ; Zett. ; Loew. — nectaria, L. ; Gmel. — decemnodia. Scop. 

 — nigra, Geoff. j Schr.; Latr.; Meig.; Mcq.; Gim. — latriuanim, D. G.; 

 Meig. Kl. Zw. ; Oken. — alblpennis, F. ; Meig. Kl. Zw. — punctata, 

 Meig.; Zett. I. L.; Gim.; Perris. Atra, nitens, alis limpidis, thoracis 

 lateribus nonnunquam albo-vitlatis, alis limpidis, venis albis apud cos- 

 tam nigris; Mas, metatarso postico abbreviato. Long. 1-1^; alar. 

 2i-3 lin. 



Black, shining. Wings limpid ; costal, subcostal, and radial veins 

 black, the rest white ; subcostal vein ending before one-third of the 

 length of the wing ; radial ending with the costal beyond two-thirds 

 of the length. — A'^ar. /3. A white stripe on each side of the thorax. 



Generally distributed ; frequents flowers, walls, windows, and 



