LAPHKIINAE 



ROBBER FLIES OF THE WORLD 



375 



short and linear; it can be exposed to view with a 

 slight tilt to the abdomen. Female terminalia recessed 

 and inconspicuous. 



Distribution : Neotropical : Lycosimyia carrerae Hull 

 (1958). 



Genu8 Strombocodia Hermann 



FlGUBE 2511 



Strombocodia Hermann, Nova Acta Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol., 

 vol. 96, p. 165, 1912. Type of genus: Strombocodia clegans 

 Hermann, 1912, by original designation. 



I have not seen any asilid which satisfactorily cor- 

 responds to Hermann's description of this genus. Be- 

 low I give a translation of the principal characteristics 

 of the genus from his description. Hermann gives the 

 length as 5.5 mm. 



Head : The head is only a little broadened but with a large, 

 vertical diameter, which appears in profile like a half sphere. 

 The relatively small face is a little arched at the base of the 

 antenna as well as on the border of the mouth and the inter- 

 vening portion is plane. The mystax consists only of numerous, 

 small bristles ; under the base of the antenna there are some 

 very delicate, little hairs ; otherwise the face lacks pile com- 

 pletely. The front is moderately broadened but the vertex has 

 the same width as the face and is quite densely pilose. Ocellar 

 tubercle very little produced and bearing 2 long bristles. The 

 occiput has delicate pile. The occipital bristles are extended 

 and become thinner from the middle of the head downward. 

 The proboscis is long and rough on its underside, with some 

 long bristles. The palpus is relatively large as found in most 

 Atomosini. On the not conspicuous but quite deeply placed 

 antenna the first segment is twice as long as the short second 

 segment and is short pilose, with on the lower surface a single, 

 long bristle. The second segment is provided with some bristly 

 hairs only at the apex. The spindle-shaped third segment is 

 about twice as long as the combined length of the first two ; it is 

 without an end segment {endgriffel) and toward the apex 

 especially it bears exquisite pubescence, which is almost feather- 

 like. On this segment, somewhat behind the middle of the 

 upper ridge, there stands ou the edge a deep notch or groove 

 with very strong, toothlike spine. 



Thorax: The mesonotum is only slightly arched and bears 

 short, erect pile along the sides. Scutellum with fine punctures 

 and short, erect pile along its border. Bristles of the mesono- 

 tum consist of 1 presutural, 2 or 3 notopleural, 1 supraalar, 1 

 postalar bristle. Metapleural fringe very thin. The pleuron 

 is, with the exception of the mesoplenron, uniformly dusted with 

 pollen and scattered hairs. Pronotal collar with bristles ; met- 

 anotum without bristles but with a bundle of fine hairs. 



Legs: The light, almost transparent legs are delicate; the 

 entire tibia, as well as the hind femur, are slightly thickened 

 towards the apex. The pile of the legs is delicate ; such bristles 

 as are present are weak and especially numerous on the front 

 legs. The bristlelike pile is limited to the under side of the 

 tarsi but on the apex of the hind tibia forms a protruding 

 cushion of exquisite rows of little individual Lairs. The dense 

 fringe of pile (Wimperbeharrung) covers both the hind tibia 

 and hind femur on the opposing faces. 



Wings: The relatively broad wings show very little that is 

 characteristic in the arrangement of the veins. The anterior 

 crossvein enters the discal cell at the basal quarter. 



Abdomen : The abdomen is moderately long, toward the back 

 somewhat broadened. The abdomen has 6 segments visible 

 from above; it is uniformly and grossly punctured, and has 

 very delicate and erect pile. On the side margins of the ab- 

 domen there are only a few, longer hairs and on the tergites real 

 discal bristles are lacking. 



Distribution: Neotropical: Strombocodia elegans 

 Hermann (1912). 



Hodites, new genus 

 Figures 286, 642, 1273, 1282 



Type of genus: Hodites punctissima, new species. 



Small, black, stout flies that are strongly punetuhiie 

 on abdomen, mesonotum, scutellum and the whole of the 

 mesopleuron. The hind femur is moderately swollen 

 beyond the middle, its tibia rather stout; the pronotum 

 has 10 pairs of spikelike bristles, the scutellum, however, 

 bears only a pair of widely separated, very short, mod- 

 erately stout bristles. Proboscis quite short and trun- 

 cate. Face convergent below, the mystax composed of 

 short, weak bristles and the third antennal segment long 

 with middorsal spine and the apex thinned and truncate. 

 Length 9 mm. 



Head, lateral aspect : The head is of moderate length 

 and the posterior profile of the eye is strongly rounded 

 above and below with the occiput barely visible at any 

 point. The face is quite short, very slightly more pro- 

 tuberant above the epistoma and with a low, scarcely 

 evident elevation below, so that it is almost plane in 

 profile. Proboscis is short, truncate, with at apex fine, 

 anteriorly directed hairs ; it is directed straight forward 

 and does not extend as far as the face. Palpus with 

 both segments extremely minute and bearing fine hairs. 

 The antenna is attached at the upper third of the head 

 and is elongate, considerably longer than the head ; the 

 first segment is a little more than 3 times as long as wide, 

 at least 2y 2 times as long as the second segment. The 

 third segment at the base is distinctly wider than the 

 second segment and gradually and slightly tapered 

 until on the apical third its width is about equal to the 

 width of the second segment ; the third segment is not 

 quite two times the combined length of the basal seg- 

 ments. Near the middle, the third segment has a dis- 

 tinct, dorsal spine. The apex is thinned and truncate, 

 without microsegment. The first segment has numer- 

 ous bristly setae below, 1 longer, slender bristle in the 

 middle, and numerous, shorter setae above. Second 

 segment with long setae below and short setae above. 



Head, anterior aspect : The width of the head is ap- 

 proximately two times the height. The face below the 

 antenna is somewhat less than one-fifth the head width 

 and distinctly narrowed below; its surface is covered 

 with appressed, silvery micropubescence and there are 

 2 or 3 quite weak, pale bristles or bristly hairs on each 

 side on the upper half, and a few other shorter hairs. 

 Above the epistoma is a pair of widely separated, short, 

 slender, black bristles, another on each side at the 

 middle of the subepistomal margin, besides a small tuft 

 of short, dark, stiff hairs in the middle of the epistomal 

 margin. Subepistoma oblique and concave. The front 

 is considerably wider than the upper face, with the 

 vertex ma-rowed moderately. Middle of each half of 

 the front with a trough or V-shaped depression longi- 



535914— 62— pt. 1- 



-25 



