DASYPOGONINAB 



ROBBER FLIES OF THE "WORLD 



247 



and slightly recessed anteriorly above so that more of 

 the dorsal occiput is exposed than the ventral occiput. 

 The face is prominent throughout, rather strongly con- 

 vex both above and below and also from either side; 

 it is a little longer and more prominent below. Occiput 

 moderately exposed, a little more exposed dorsally but 

 near the eye margin it is almost plane with the eye and 

 increases very gradually towards the medial position. 

 The pile on the lower half of the occiput and the weak 

 bristles on the upper half of the occiput begin a con- 

 siderable distance from the eye margin. Proboscis 

 distinctly shortened, barely extending beyond the epis- 

 toma and directed almost horizontally forward. The 

 anterior half is somewhat compressed laterally and the 

 apex is distinctly bifid as in Neodioctria Ricardo. From 

 the lateral aspect the apex of the proboscis is bluntly 

 V-shaped with a fine tuft of pile only on the apical 

 and lateral surface. There are some strong hairs ven- 

 trally in the middle. Dorsal keel absent. Palpus 

 characteristically long, exceptionally slender on the ul- 

 timate segment, which is spindle-shaped, thinned and 

 tapered both towards base and apex and has an oblique, 

 apical pore. The palpus is bare, except for 1 or 2 

 ventromedial, stiffened hairs and 1 or 2 basilateral hairs. 

 Also, the short, widened, more or less fused basal seg- 

 ment has some long, fine pile. 



Antenna elongate, longer than the head and attached 

 almost on a plane with the vertex, and corresponding 

 to the upper sixth of the eye margin. The first two 

 segments are nearly equal, a little longer than wide, 

 with a few, stiff hairs dorsally and ventrolaterally; at 

 the apex the second segment ventrally has 2 or 3 short 

 bristles. Third segment more than 2V£ the combined 

 length of the first two, as wide as the end of the second 

 or barely wider; it is of uniform width to the outer 

 fourth from which point ventrally it tapers to the 

 blunt apex. The apex has a small, oblique opening with 

 concealed spine; the whole segment is strongly com- 

 pressed laterally. 



Head, anterior aspect : The face is quite wide, barely 

 wider below the middle at the point of greatest con- 

 vexity. It is about one-third the total head width. 

 Surface densely golden pubescent on a yellow back- 

 ground. Face almost without pile except for a few 

 ventral hairs. It has a single ventral row of 8 rather 

 short, downturned, moderately stout, pale bristles. 

 Cheeks very short, not extending below the eye. Sub- 

 epistoma small and nearly horizontal. The front is 

 rather short, as wide as the face, the vertex almost as 

 wide. Sides of front with a few, slender, bristly hairs. 

 The ocellarium is moderately high and wide with nearly 

 vertical sides but it is not conspicuous; it has a few 

 very fine hairs between the posterior ocelli. Central 

 eye facets very little enlarged. 



Thorax: The thorax is moderately convex, a little 

 more so behind. It presents a very bare appearance 

 with some golden pollen anteriorly and laterally and a 

 few, fine hairs laterally in front of the suture. Noto- 

 pleuron with an oblique row of 3 bristles, moderately 

 stout and long. Anteroventral corners of humerus with 



635914— 62— pt 1 17 



2 bristles, supraalar region with 3, postalar callosity 

 with 1, and the thick flattened scutellum with pollen 

 only and no bristles or pile. Kim of scutellum quite 

 convex in section. Metanotum laterally unusually bul- 

 lose with pollen only. The pleuron is almost without 

 pile except on the propleuron, which has copious hairs 

 and the metapleuron has a vertical row of 5 rather stiff, 

 short bristles. Posterior mesopleuron with a vertical 

 band of golden pubescence and another on the posterior 

 part of the thorax. Prosternum fully dissociated ; post- 

 metacoxal area membranous; lateral metasternum with 

 pile. 



Legs: The hind femur is considerably elongate and 

 very slightly but gradually dilated. It bears 1 sub- 

 apical, stout bristle and 1 central lateral weak bristle. 

 Hind tibia with 5 short dorsolateral, 4 dorsomedial, 6 

 ventrolateral and 3 ventromedial bristles. This tibia is 

 as long or longer than the femur ; the immediate apex 

 is a little swollen and bears 2 dorsal, 1 lateral, and 2 

 ventral bristles. Tarsus slender, the hind basitarsus 

 nearly as long as the next 4 segments. Anterior and 

 middle femora each with 1 posterior, subapical bristle 

 and the middle femur with an anterior bristle on the 

 outer fourth. The middle and anterior tibia are almost 

 identical in bristles. There are 4 basal, anterodorsal 

 elements on the middle tibia, 1 on the anterior tibia, 

 both tibiae with 4 basal posterodorsal bristles, both 

 with 6 or 7 posteroventral and each with a long, stout, 

 ventral bristle on the apical seventh, both with long, 

 slender basitarsus, the middle basitarsus with strong, 

 long, anterior bristles. Anterior tibia at apex on the 

 medial or anterior side with a well developed protuber- 

 ance and a characteristic quite slender but obtuse, 

 curved, pronglike spine. Anterior basitarsus subbasally 

 with a flangelike, elevated swelling which bears 5 or 6 

 rows containing more than 20 stubby, conical spines. 

 Claws slender, sharp, curved from the base. Pulvillus 

 well developed; empodium a little swollen. 



Wings : The marginal cell is widely open but the apex 

 of the second vein is a little advanced forward. An- 

 terior branch of the third vein ends well above the apex 

 of the wing, the posterior branch considerably farther 

 behind. All posterior cells open, the first and fourth 

 slightly narrowed. Anal cell widely open, posterior 

 crossvein is very short; the rectangular anterior cross- 

 vein enters the discal cell beyond the outer third. Alula 

 well developed. Whole wing tinged with brown or yel- 

 low and villose. 



Abdomen : The abdomen is elongate and rather slen- 

 der, hemicylindrical and subclavate, narrowed on the 

 last three segments and at the end of the second. The 

 base is a little less wide than the thorax. Males with 

 eight tergites, females with eight, the eighth is two- 

 thirds as long as the seventh. Male terminalia promi- 

 nent. Female with acanthophorites and 6 pairs of long, 

 prominent, rather sharp spines. Eighth sternite with 

 an apical cleft, which is turned upward. 



Distribution : Australian : Neocyrtopogon bifasciatus 

 Eicardo (1912). 



