ROBBER FLIES OF THE WORLD 



469 



(1931) ; dana Curran (1941) ; doeUojuradoi Gemignani 

 (1930) ; fairchildi Curran (1942) ; fautrix Osten 

 Sacken (1887) ; fulvianalh Macqiiart (1849) ; fusca 

 Bromley (1934) ; geijskesi Curran (1942) ; geniculata 

 Macquart (1838) ; inca Curran (1941) ; inferrMlis 

 Wiedemann (1821) [= freycineti '!slvuc(\\\&vt (1838)]; 

 jemimn Curran (1941); lampon Walker (1849); 

 leschenaultii Macquart (1838) ; leucothrica Carrera 

 and d'Andretta (1953); lucida Curran (1941); lugu- 

 hris Lynch Arribalzaga (1880) ; lynchi Gemignani 

 (1930) ; macquartii Eondani (1850) [ = scopifer Mac- 

 quart (1838), not Wiedemann, scopipeda Rondani 

 (18G3)]; mexicana Carrera and d'Andretta (1950); 

 mlnos AViedemann (1824) ; neta Curran (1941) ; 

 nigritarsis Fabricius (1805) [ = fnigrifemorata Mac- 

 quart (1838)] ; nigrHventris JnciMXickQ (1867) ; opposita 

 Walker (1851) ; j^/ca Macquart (1849) [ = Jer^w Lynch 

 Arribalzaga (1880)]; pipiens Curran (1941); j)luto 

 Wiedemann (1828) ; pulcheUa Curran (1925) ; purpu- 

 rea Walker (1850) ; pusiUa Macquart (1838) ; rohusta 

 Wiedemann (1828); ruficauda Wiedemann (1828); 

 ruflventris Macquart (1838) ; schwarsi Curran (1934) ; 

 scopifer Wiedemann (1828) ; scopitarsls Eondani 

 (1863); scutellaris Lynch Arribalzaga (1880); semi- 

 violacea Eondani (1848) ; sexualis Curran (1937) ; 

 singularis Macquart (1838) ; soccata Thomson (1869) ; 

 soceulata Eondani (1848) ; speclosa Curran (1934) ; 

 sylveirii Macquart (1838) ; testaceipes Macquart 

 (1849) ; testaceitarsis Macquart (1855) ; tisipliones 

 Eondani (1848) [ = rufipes Macquart (1849)] tibialis 

 Macquart (1838) [ = /asc/aifa Walker {1^51) , fascipen- 

 nis Macquart (1849)]; tolteca Curran (1941) ; trichos- 

 tica Williston (1901) ; vegeta Lynch Arribalzaga 

 (1882) ; centralis Macquart (1838) ; vorax Curran 

 (1941) ; xylcopivdes Walker (1851) ; zita Curran 

 (1941) ; so«a^ Gemignani (1930). 



Country unknown : Mallophora pyrura Eondani 

 (1864). 



Mallophora orcina has been observed and commented 

 on by Eiley (1880) concerning the eggs and oviposition. 



Subgenus Megaphorus Bigot 

 FiGtTBES 727, 1368, 1377 



Megaphorus Bigot, Ann. Soc. Ent. France, ser. 3, vol. 5, p. 542, 

 1857. Type of subgenus: AsiJus laphroides Wiedemann, 

 1828, as Mallophora heteroptera Macquart, 1838, by original 

 designation. 



MaUophorina Curran, Families and genera of North American 

 Diptera, p. 181, 183, 1934. Type of subgenus : Mallophora 

 guildiana Williston, 1885, by original designation. 



Flies that are in nearly every respect similar to Mal- 

 lophora Macquart. They are smaller and chiefly are to 

 be recognized by the plane, not gibbous face which is 

 slightly convex or almost flat and densely covered by 

 long, delicate pile instead of bristles. The first pos- 

 terior cell is closed or open. Ambient vein sometimes 

 absent, at least generally evanescent. Posterior veins 

 also sometimes evanescent. The claws are robust and 



blunt as in Mallophora. The dense pile of the thorax 

 and abdomen is characteristic. Length 8 to 18 mm. 



This is a Nearctic subgenus which so far contains the 

 following species: Megaphorus acra Curran, clausi- 

 cella Macquart, frustra Pritchard, guildiana Williston, 

 laphroides Wiedemann (with two synonyms: heterop- 

 tera Macquart and minuta Macquart), prudens Prit- 

 chard, pulchra Pritchard. Possibly Mallophora mega- 

 chile Coquillett belongs here; minuta may be distinct. 



Bromley (1951) has pointed out that the species of 

 Megaphorus Bigot, as MaUophorina Curran, while dis- 

 tmct in the United States, show all gradations in the 

 South American faiuia; consequently he recognizes it 

 as a subgenus of Mallophora. 



Nyssomyia, new genus 

 FiGUBES 351, 748, 1405, 1414, 2260, 2330, 2463, 2464 



Type of genus : Nyssomyia ochracea, new species. 



Large flies, readily distinguished by the venation and 

 the female terminalia. The first posterior cell is very 

 long, narrow and undulate, caused by the sinuous 

 character of the posterior branch of the third vein, and 

 anterior branch of the fourth vein. The ovipositor is 

 composed of the last 5 segments, which are greatly 

 lengthened and narrowed. Length 37 mm. 



Head, lateral aspect: The face is prominent on the 

 lower two-thirds with a well developed gibbosity; on 

 the upper third it is nearly plane with the eye, and this 

 part bears no pile. The gibbosity has numerous, quite 

 long, fine, bristly hairs, which continue along the lateral 

 subepistoma. Occiput uniformly well developed 

 throughout. It has 6 black, long bristles near the 

 vertex ; the pile is brownish yellow, long and abundant 

 over the remainder of the occiput. The proboscis is 

 stout, extends beyond the face and is obliquely truncate 

 at the apex from below; the apex beai-s numerous, fine 

 hairs, the base below is swollen with abundant, long, 

 fine hairs; a dorsal ridge, prominent at the base, is 

 present. Palpus is slender and cylindrical but not 

 long; it bears numerous, fine, bristly hairs. The an- 

 tenna is attached at the upper third of the head and 

 is considerably shorter than the head, if the style is 

 excepted. The first segment is twice as long as the 

 second, the second is twice as long as wide. The third 

 segment is very little longer than the second, and elon- 

 gate oval ; it bears a short microsegment and a slender 

 style, not quite as long as the combined three segments. 

 First segment below with several long, bristly hairs; 

 both basal segments with numerous, fine setae above 

 and other setae below. 



Head, anterior aspect : The face has a well developed 

 gibbosity occupying the lower two-thirds; the upper 

 third of face barely extends beyond the eye and lacks 

 pile. The face is thinly, brownish j-ellow pollinose and 

 the gibbosity is densely covered with quite long, slender 

 bristles extending down the sides of the subepistoma. 

 The face below the antenna is a sixth the head width 

 and distinctly widened below. Front short, with 10 or 



