14 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 123 



sides of mesonotum before the suture and extending somewhat inward 

 at the suture, as well as all pleural areas, white pilose. Anterior 

 half of wing j T ellow to apex of discal cell and vein R 4 , otherwise brown; 

 microtrichia-free area in anal cell very narrow. Halteres yellow. 

 Apical half of fore- and hind tibiae and apical two-thirds of middle 

 tibia black. Abdomen mostly black, the apex becoming reddish 

 brown; terga 4 and 5 and sternum 5 mainly reddish brown, with a 

 black median triangle at base of tergum 4 and a black triangle on 

 each side; pile of first and second terga black except for a large sub- 

 lateral triangle of golden pile on each side of the second as in H. 

 chrysopila; that of terga 3-5 dense, golden except a median and a 

 lateral triangle on each side of each tergum, those on the fifth defi- 

 nitely the smallest, those on the third and fourth relatively large; 

 venter white pilose. Genitalia yellow; dististyle prominent from 

 lateral view, apex almost rectangular but slightly acute and sharp 

 pointed. Length 8-9 mm. 



Holotype: cf, 6 miles south of Temixco, Morelos, Mexico, July 16, 

 1963, F. R. Parker, L. A. Stange; University of California, Davis. 



Paratype: cf, same data. 



Hermetia aurata Bellardi 



Figures 3, 12 



Hermetia aurata Bellardi, 1859, Saggio di ditterologia messicana, vol. I, p. 27. — 

 Williston, 1900, Diptera, in Godman and Salvin, Biologia Centrali-Ameri- 

 cana, p. 240. — James, in Stone et al., Catalog of the Diptera of America 

 north of Mexico, p. 304, partim. 



Though we have not seen Bellardi's types, we feel confident that 

 our interpretation of this species is correct. The type-locality is 

 Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico, which fits well into the known distri- 

 butional pattern of this species but not into any other member of the 

 group with which it might be confused. As Williston points out, 

 Bellardi makes no mention of a yellow border to the scutellum; 

 specimens that we interpret to be H. aurata have the scutellum 

 wholly black or with at most a very narrow yellow border, whereas 

 in all other species of the complex the yellow area is prominent and 

 may be extended to cover the apical half of the scutellum. 



The supra-antennal callus is poorly developed or vestigial; the 

 area above the frontal callus is rugulose, with two or sometimes only 

 one well-marked carinulae. The thoracic pile is mostly yellow to 

 golden and relatively inconspicuous except for the presutural median 

 vitta, which is set apart by a vitta of black pile on each side, and a 

 transverse prescutellar band; the hind tibia is black on the apical 

 third to half, except at its extreme tip; and the others are reddish 

 brown to dark brown or blackish on the same area; the pile of the ter- 



