ROBBER FLIES OF THE WORLD 



449 



Text-Figure 31. — Blepharotes splendi 

 Wiedemann. 



fine, white pile, sometimes partly black. Upper meso- 

 pleuron and the anterior basalare swollen laterally and 

 bearing pile; the upper pteropleuron, upper sterno- 

 pleuron and the posthypopleuron with pile. Meta- 

 pleuron with a broad band of long, bristly hairs and 

 sometimes very stout bristles. Metasternum pilose 

 laterally and below; postmetacoxal area membranous; 

 prostemum dissociated. Metanotal callosity pubescent 

 only. Posterior basalare with numerous bristles and 

 stiff pile. 



Legs: The femora are quite stout and moderately 

 long, the first four are a little swollen towards the base 

 and through the middle; most of the pile is coarse, 

 bristly, subappressed, the bristles are very stout, con- 

 spicuous and numerous. The hind femur bears 6 dorso- 

 lateral, 10 to 14 ventrolateral, and a row of ventro- 

 medial and dorsomedial bristles. There are 2 medial 

 bristles at the apex, and a row on the medial surface 

 of the hind trochanter containing, from 6 to 8 bristles ; 

 all coxae laterally with 2 or 3 bristles. The hind tibia 

 contains 3 dorsolateral, 3 ventrolateral, and 3 poster- 

 odorsal bristles. Middle femur with 3 stout, baso- 

 lateral bristles beginning at the basal third, 27 

 anteroventral bristles, in the type of genus and in other 

 species similar patches which may be more basal in 

 position. The middle tibia in males is greatly swollen 

 distally with a distal process and bears numerous stout 

 bristles ventrally near the apex on both sides. The 

 females of some species have a double, cone like fringe 

 on the outer half of this very stout, middle tibia con- 

 sisting of 10 or more spikelike bristles, apposed rapto- 

 rially to the similar bristles of the femur. Anterior 



femur with 1 to 3 bristles anteriorly and sometimes with 

 many stout bristles ventrally; they are more slender 

 and reduced in type of genus. Bristles on this tibia 

 sometimes reduced to mere setae, in others with 4 or 5 

 anterodorsal bristles and 5 or 6 long, posteroventral 

 bristles; posterodorsal bristles are wanting. Apex 

 simple. The basitarsus is long as the next 2 segments 

 but the male middle basitarsus is shortened. Claws 

 stout, including the apex which is moderately sharp. 

 Pulvilli long; empodium bladelike. 



Wings : The wings are broad at base, rather long and 

 pointed and generally smoky blackish in color. The 

 marginal cell is closed with an exceptionally long stalk ; 

 the anterior branch of the tliird vem ends shortly above 

 the wing apex, the posterior branch ends shortly be- 

 hmd. The middle of the second submarginal cell is 

 strongly dilated and the second posterior cell very 

 strongly dilated, so that the middle of the first posterior 

 cell is almost occluded. Posterior crossvein remark- 

 ably long, the fourth posterior cell and anal cell each 

 closed with a very long stalk. Alula unusually large, 

 the ambient vein complete. 



Abdomen : The abdomen is broad and flattened, the 

 width varying from scarcely more than the thoracic 

 width to much wider than the thorax. Pile of the 

 abdomen scanty, fine, subappressed and setate and al- 

 most absent on some of the tergites but in all cases ex- 

 panded along the lateral margin into curious, isolated, 

 rounded, platelU^e tufts or fringes of pile. Sides of 

 tergites without bristles except on the first segment. 

 Males with eight tergites but the eighth quite short; 

 females with the eighth tergite incorporated in the 



