CONOPID FLIES — CAMRAS 117 



The specimen examined has a slight elevation within a very slightly- 

 depressed area on the vertex. Such a change occurs in a few other 

 species of Conops (s.s.), and represents a vestigial ocellar tubercle. 

 Krober in adding to the description of the type (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist, 

 ser. 11, vol. 5, p. 229, 1940), states that there is a distinct ocellar 

 swelling (= tubercle) with two ocelli, and because of the spindle shaped 

 abdomen, considers this species to be closely related to C. nigripes. 

 However, this female shows that it is not at all related to nigripes, 

 which belongs to Siniconops. The female has a small triangular 

 theca with tip slightly hooked. The robust spindle shape of the 

 abdomen is also entirely different from the long cylindrical abdomen 

 of the female of nigripes. 



This species is very distinctive structurally by having robust 

 bristles on the sides of the dorsum of the thorax, and on the sterno- 

 pleura. There is also a prominence of fine bristles on the dorsum of 

 the thorax and on the abdomen. 



Material examined: Siam: Chiengmai, Oct. 23, 1920, 1 female, 

 Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 



Genus Siniconops Chen 

 Siniconops Chen, Notes d'entomologie chinoise, vol. 6, p. 197, 1939. 



Similar to Conops, but having an ocellar tubercle, usually with two 

 ocelli; and usually with a vertical swelling. The third and fourth 

 abdominal segments are enlarged in both sexes so that the male 

 abdomen is spindle shaped, and the female abdomen is elongated and 

 cylindrical. The fifth, sixth, and seventh segments are relatively 

 small in the female, but the theca is proportionately large and tooth- 

 shaped. 



Type: Sinoconops elegans Chen. 



I am using the term vertical swelling (i.e., swelling of the vertex) 

 after Krober, instead of ocellar vesicle as used by Seguy and Chen. 

 Since ocellar vesicle is apt to be confused with ocellar swelling which 

 Krober and I have used for the ocellar tubercle, it is best to drop both 

 of these terms. The ocellar tubercle is the small swelling within the 

 ocelli (if present), at the anterior angle of the vertical swelling. The 

 vertical swelling may be triangular and distinct from the vertex, or it 

 ma} 7 coincide with the vertex. 



In addition to the species recorded here, Physoconops microvalvus 

 Krober belongs to this genus, although the base of the abdomen is 

 relatively narrow. 



Siniconops maculifrons (Krober) 



Conops maculifrons Krober, Arch. Naturg. vol. 81, Abt. A, Heft 11, p. 41, 1915. 



The frontofacial mark is weak, but present in the specimen from 

 Manchuria. It is absent in the specimen from Siberia. 



