ART. 21 ACALYPTRATE FLIES MALLOCH 13 



lum punctate with black and belong to the same group as valida 

 Walker, the fifth has no spot on the face but has the scutellum bi- 

 punctate at apex, while the sixth has the scutellum and face im- 

 punctate, though closel^v related to the fifth. The others except hi- 

 functata^ are quite distinct from this first group, belonging for the 

 most part to one more aberrant, the mid tibia being bristled in some, 

 and other chaetotaxic characters occurring in all which distinguish 

 them from the other segregates of the genus. 



MINETTIA TRIPUNCTICEPS, new species 



Female. — Cla}^ yellow, slightly shining, with the following parts 

 black: a vitta on frons occupying the median fourth of its entire 

 surface, basal two segments of antennae, arista, two round spots 

 above middle of face and one on its lower margin, a mark below each 

 eye, sides of labrum, palpi except bases, four vittae on dorsum of 

 thorax, the median pair extending over bases of the apical scutellar 

 bristles, a series of large spots on middle of dorsum of abdomen ex- 

 cept on first visible tergite, a narrow fascia on each side on hind mar- 

 gin of each tergite which widens out and extends along the extreme 

 lateral margins. A spot on anterior side at apices of fore femora 

 and a band near bases of mid and hind tibiae fuscous. Wings yel- 

 lowish, dark brown along costa back as far as second vein, the dark 

 color extending obliquely across wing from a little proximad of 

 outer cross vein to middle of second posterior cell and covering entire 

 apex of wing, both cross veins broadly dark brown, the cloud on outer 

 one almost connected with the dark apical mark, and a dark suffusion 

 along entire length of fifth vein. Halteres yellow. 



Structurally similar to valida Walker. Frontal bristles except the 

 minute ocellars strong and long ; arista plumose. Thorax with three 

 pairs of long postsutural dorsocentral and one pair of prescutellar 

 acrostichal bristles ; the intradorsocentral setulae in about ten series. 

 Fore femur without anteroventral comb. Outer cross vein a little 

 over one- third from apex of cliscal cell. 



Length, 4 mm. 



Type. — Barro Colorado, Panama Canal Zone, July 16, 1923 (R. C. 

 Sliannon). Cat. No. 28447, U.S.N.M. 



The tripunctate face, fusion of median thoracic vittae with the 

 normal pair of black spots at apex of scutellum, and conspicuously 

 marked wings separate this species from any of its allies. 



MINETTIA OCTOVITTATA Williston 



This species is the most closelj' related to the foregoing. The face 

 has but one black spot, on the lower margin, the cheeks are imspotted, 

 the frontal vitta is much paler and more diffused, the second antenna! 

 segment is yellow, the thoracic vittae broader and less intense in 



