LAPHIUINAB 



ROBBER FLIES OF THE WORLD 



351 



Head, lateral aspect: The head is long and very 

 similar to Andrenosoma in the extensive, vent-rally gib- 

 bous face which is densely beset with stout, long bris- 

 tles. The occiput is very prominent below, the eyes 

 recessive on the lower two-thirds. Proboscis similar 

 to Andrenosoma and the palpus likewise. The an- 

 tenna is attached at the upper fourth of the head and 

 about as long as the head exclusive of the gibbosity; 

 the first two segments are stout, the second is a little 

 shorter than the first. The third segment is strongly 

 dilated beyond the attenuate base and it is strongly 

 narrowed near the apex and ends in a pit with a small 

 spine. First segment with a very stout, ventral bris- 

 tle, the second with 1 or 2 stout, dorsal bristles and 

 sometimes ventral bristles as well ; both segments have 

 additional bristly hairs above and below. 



Head, anterior aspect : The head is not as wide as the 

 thorax ; the face is wide, slightly divergent below and 

 about two-fifths the head width ; it is densely covered 

 with coarse, long pile and the gibbosity bears numer- 

 ous, long, stout bristles, which sometimes extend be- 

 yond the proboscis. Subepistomal area large and 

 oblique. The front is quite short, the vertex deeply 

 excavated, the ocellarium large but low, with 1 pair 

 of long, stout bristles and sometimes more slender bris- 

 tles and pile. Sides of the front along the eye with 

 several stout bristles and some additional pile. 



Thorax: The mesonotum is long and rather low, 

 generally shining, or sometimes with pollinose stripes; 

 the pile is relatively abundant, suberect and bristly. 

 A double acrostical row of bristly hairs is present and 

 the posterior pile becomes longer but scarcely differen- 

 tiated. The lateral bristles are stout or slender and 

 consist of 1 notopleural, 3 to 6 supraalar, 3 to 8 posta- 

 lar bristles. The scutellum has 3 or 4 pairs of long, 

 moderately stout, marginal bristles and the disc bears 

 either long, bristly pile or still longer, slender bristles. 

 Mesopleuron with 1 to 2 posterodorsal bristles and much 

 long, coarse pile continued on to the sternopleuron. 

 Propleuron densely long, bristly pilose, the pronotum 

 with or without bristles ; the presternum is rather nar- 

 rowly fused and continuous. Metapleuron with a 

 large triangle of numerous, long, bristly hairs; meta- 

 notal callosity pollinose only. Postmetacoxal area 

 membranous but with a rather wide, lateral extension 

 of the metasternal chitin; metasternum pilose. 



Legs: The femora are all exceptionally stout and 

 more or less swollen ; the tibiae are also quite stout and 

 the basitarsi short and all tarsi stout. In their pile 

 and bristles the legs are very similar to those of Andre- 

 nosoma in that some of the elements are extremely 

 stout and well differentiated, but. the bristles are rather 

 fewer and there are numerous, long, slender, bristly 

 hairs which grade into a few, weak bristles. Hind 

 femur with 2 stout, lateral bristles on the apical fifth 

 and 1 similar medial bristle near the apex; in males 

 the ventral surfaces have 2 stout bristles at the base, 

 and likewise the other femoral bristles may be doubled 

 in number and the distal enlargement a little greater. 

 Anterior and middle tibiae with a rather striking ante- 



rior, posterior, and ventral fringe of long, dense, erect, 

 bristly pile and slender bristles in the male, somewhat 

 reduced in the females. Claws moderately sharp, the 

 pulvilli and empodium long, the latter bladelike. 



Wings: The venation is similar to Andrenosoma. 

 There is a complete crossvein dividing the first sub- 

 marginal cell into two parts. First posterior cell nar- 

 rowly open, or closed and stalked, the ambient vein 

 complete. 



Abdomen: The abdomen is broad and robust and 

 densely pilose; the pile may be long and matted in the 

 middle of the tergites and longer laterally or it may be 

 scanty and setate down the middle of the abdomen. 

 First tergite sometimes with only weak, slender 

 bristles, continued on to the second tergite, or there may 

 be 2 to 4 stout bristles on all tergites. Males with seven 

 tergites, the seventh nearly concealed. Females with 

 seven tergites and the seventh quite short, or sometimes 

 half as long as the seventh. Male terminalia rather 

 large and elongate, rotate one-fouth, the broad epan- 

 drium rather short but not cleft, the proctiger very ex- 

 tensive beyond. The gonopod is long and prominent 

 and sometimes has spikelike bristles. 



Distribution: Nearctic: Pogonosoma dorsatum Say 

 (1824) [ = dorsata Walker (1855)]; melanopternm 

 Wiedemann (1828) ; ridingsi Cresson (1920). 



Neotropical: Pogonosoma arachnoides Bigot (1878). 



Palaearctic: Pogonosoma lugens Loew (1873); ma- 

 roccanum Fabricius (1794) [ = hyalipenne A. Costa 

 (1857)]; minus Loew (1869) ; unicolor Loew (1873). 



Oriental : Pogonosoma albopilosa de Meijere (1913) ; 

 analis de Meijere (1914) ; beecarii Rondani (1875) ; 

 bleekeri Doleschall (1858) ; cyanogaster Bezzi (1917) ; 

 funebris Hermann (1914) ; semifuscwn Wulp (1872) ; 

 stigmaticum Wulp (1872) . 



Perris (1871) treats the larva of Pogonosoma maroc- 

 canum Fabricius. 



Genus Pilica Curran 



Figures 239, 638, 1240, 1249, 2076, 2085, 2132 



Pilica Curran, Amer. Mus. Novitates, No. 487, p. 20, 1931. 

 Type of genus : Laphria formidolosa Walker, 18G0, by 

 original designation. 



Large to medium size flies characterized by the very 

 prominent, gibbose face, the long, sharply pointed, 

 anteriorly thrust, and upturned proboscis which is both 

 laterally and dorsally tapered and is greatly swollen at 

 the base. The terminal segment of the palpus is of the 

 excavated type. Belated to Andrenosoma Rondani, 

 which possesses some of the same characters. It is dis- 

 tinguished by the bristly pilose slopes of the metano- 

 tum. Length 18 to 28 mm. 



Head, lateral aspect : Face extraordinarily prominent 

 and villose, rounded and convex on the lower two- 

 thirds. The eye is narrowed below and moderately re- 

 cessive anteroventrally ; it is strongly flattened antero- 

 medially, rather high and short. Occiput short and 

 poorly developed above, becoming considerably more 



535914— 62— pt. 1- 



-24 



