182 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.85 



tip ; first and third veins approximated ; first vein entire. Legs rather 

 slender, front and middle femora of equal width, about half as wide 

 as the posterior pair; middle tibiae with spines other than the 

 apical spurs. 



This genus looks very much like Sj/neura and runs out near it in 

 Malloch's table of North American Phoridae,^ but it is distinct and 

 easily separated from that genus by the characters given above. 



Genotype. — Attamyia texaTUi^ new species. 



ATTAMYIA TEXANA, new species 



Figure 69, a-d 



Female. — Black, dull, doi-sum of the thorax with a metallic sheen; 

 abdomen with a bluish -green iridescence ; sixth segment twice as long 

 as the fifth, tapering toward the apex and shiny on the apical half. 

 Frons (fig. 69, a) slightly wider than long; four strong bristles on 

 each side; upper two at the ends of two transvei*se rows of four 

 bristles each ; postantennal bristles smaller, proclinate, in some speci- 

 mens cruciate, in others convergent. Antenna (fig. 69, h) with first 

 two joints yellow; third joint gTayish brown, elongate, more pointed 

 at the apex; arista nearly black; first tvro joints small, third very 

 slender, with short pubescence. Palpus pale yellow, darker at the tip, 

 each with three or four black spiny bristles. Scutellum dull brown- 

 ish black with two bristles. Halteres dark brown; base of stem 

 yellow, tip of knob black. Wing (fig. 69, c) with the costa ending 

 decidedly short of the middle; fringe short; first section about four 

 times as long as the second; thickening along the anterior costal 

 edge narrow. Ovipositor (fig. 69, d) very slender, shiny black, as 

 long as the preceding segment. Legs entirely yellow, slender; pos- 

 terior femora with a brownish infuscation. 



Length, 1.25 to 1.5 mm. 



Type locality. — Kisatchie National Forest, Provencal, La. 



Type and paratypes. — U. S. N. M. no. 52287. 



Remarks. — Twenty-three specimens, all from the type locality, 

 taken in association with Atta texana Buckley. One specimen is 

 dated June 29, 1937, the remainder July 13, 1937. Dr. M. R. Smith is 

 the collector. 



The following note on the habit of this species is quoted from a 

 letter from Dr. Smith : 



"I saw probably 30 to 100 of the parasites flying over the mound 

 and parasitizing ants here and there. I did not have a hand lens, 

 but with my naked eye I could see that the parasite was striking its 



iMalloch, J. R., The insects of the dipterous family Phoridae in the United State? 

 National Museum. Proc. U. S. N:it. Mus., vol. 43, pp. 411-529, 7 pis., 1012. 



