82 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 68 



Genus TAXIGRAMMA Perris 



Taxigramma Perris, Anna!. Soc. Linn. Lyon for 1850, p. 209, 1852. Geno- 

 type, Mz/io^ramma heteroneura Meigen as pipiens, new species. — Townsend, 

 Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash., vol. 14, p. 52, 1912. 



Heteropterina Macquart, Annal. Soc. Ent. France for 1854, p. 426, 1854. Geno- 

 type, Miltogramma heteroneura Meigen. — Schiner, Faun. Austr., vol. 1, 

 p. 502, 1862. — Brauer and Berganstamm, Zweifl. d. Kaiserl. Mus., vol. 56, 

 p. 113, 1889.— Adams, in Williston's Manual of N. A. Dipt., p. 371, fig. 150, 

 no. 62, 1908. 



Elpigia Robineau-Desvoidy, Dipt. Envr. Paris, vol. 2, p. 149, 1863. The 

 genotype, pellucida Robineau-Desvoidy, according to Bezzi and Stein, 

 Kat. Pal. Dipt., equals heteroneura Meigen, which is also the type of 

 Taxigramma. 



Nasonimyia Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 49, p. 619, 1915. The 

 genotype, Heteropterina nasoni Coquillett compared with European speci- 

 mens of heteroneura with which it was found to be conspecific. 



In 1852 Perris described as a new species Taxigramma pipiens.*'* 

 The single description is for both genus and species. The distinctive 

 characters of size, wing venation, and abdominal markings are defi- 

 nitely described and agree in detail with North American specimens 

 of Miltogramma heteroneura Meigen described in 1830. According to 

 Bezzi and Stein pipiens equals J/, heteroneura.*^ Macquart in 1854/- 

 proposed the genus Heteropterina for which heteroneura became the 

 genotype. But since Taxigramma was proposed for pipiens which 

 equals heteroneura, the genotype, some years before Heteropterina, it 

 appears that the former should replace Heteropterina as the name of 

 the genus. Coquillett*^ pointed out this synonjrmy in 1910, but for 

 some undetermined reason it has not been generally accepted. 



The outstanding character of this genus is the unusual degree to 

 which the wing venation is crowded toward the costa. From the 

 other North iVmerican genera of Miltogram.minae, it is readily separated 

 by the extreme length of the appendicular fold of the fourth vein and 

 the last section of the fifth vein. The fold is distinctl}^ longer than 

 the discal cell, and the last section of the fifth vein longer than tlie 

 preceding section. Other generic characters are as follows: A single 

 frontal row on either side of the vitta, descending below base of second 

 antennal joint, suddenly divergent below; proclinate ocellar bristles 

 present, and orbitals occur in both sexes ; vibrissae inserted near oral 

 margin; facial ridges bristly on less than lowest fourth; lunulc con- 

 spicuously exposed; antennae extend to less than length of the 

 second joint from vibrissae; penultimate joint of arista scarcely 

 longer than broad; in profile, head length at vibrissae less than 

 at base of antennae; proboscis stout, scarcely as long as head height; 



«« Soc. Linn. Lyon, 1852, p. 65. « Annal. Soc. Entom. France for 1854, p. 426. 



*' Kat. Pal. Dipt., vol. 3, p. 517, 1907. 'i Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 37, p. 551, 1910. 



