ROBBER FLIES OF THE WORLD 



483 



Cratolestes, new genus 

 Figures 360, 749, 1438, 1447, 2178, 2204, 2455, 2469 



Type of genus Asilus spectabilis Philippi, 1865. 



Moderately large, rather robust species with consid- 

 erable pile and extremely dense pile about the face and 

 lower occiput. The facial gibbosity is prominent and 

 occupies more than the ventral half ; it has much bristly 

 pile but no stout bristles. Last 3 tergites greatly 

 shortened, giving them an appearance which resembles 

 Aplocera Westwood. Both branches of the third vein 

 end above the apex of the wing and the base of the 

 second submarginal cell has a spur vein. Male termi- 

 nalia prominent and elongate, the superior forceps 

 emarginate laterally; female tenninalia only mod- 

 erately compressed. Length 20 mm. 



Head, lateral aspect : The head length normal. The 

 face is slightly visible beneath the antemia, narrowly 

 plane across the middle and with the lower three- 

 fourths prominent and gently protuberant. Eyes 

 strongly recessive anteroventrally beginning at the 

 lower fourth. Occiput moderately prominent through- 

 out, extending almost to the vertex ; lower occiput more 

 extensive ; occipital pile scanty through the middle but 

 on the lower third of the head it forms a dense, fine, 

 long, crinkled tuft, which obscures the gromid color. 

 Bristles begin below the middle and become somewhat 

 more stout dorsally ; they are straight or slightly curved 

 and with about 30 on each side. Proboscis of moderate 

 size, rather strongly and gradually swollen laterally 

 towards the base and also dorsoventrally, so that it is 

 narrowly subconical. Apex bluntly rounded bearing 

 a few, stiff hairs. The basal half ventrally has nu- 

 merous, long, stiff hairs. Palpus of one segment, with 

 stiff pile ventrally and long, stiff, curved bristles dor- 

 sally and apically. The antenna is attached at upper 

 third; the first segment is nearly twice as long as the 

 second ; the third not quite as long as the first two com- 

 bined. The third segment is laterally compressed, 

 rather short pyriform and bears a short, stout, curved 

 style, a little thickened apically, li/^ times as long as 

 the third segment and bears a minute, apical spine. 

 Fii'st antennal segment ventrally with numerous, stiff, 

 moderately long, appressed hairs; second with fewer, 

 shorter, similar hairs. 



Head, anterior aspect: The face below the antemia 

 is nearly a third of head width and moderately di- 

 vergent below. Face pubescent with abundant, long, 

 stiff, white pile everywhere, except narrowly along the 

 eye margin ; it grades into weak bristles and along the 

 epistomal margin are 5 or 6 rather stout, pale bristles to 

 which others are added centrally above. Subepistomal 

 margin with pale bristles and pile. Subepistoma large, 

 conspicuous and shallowly concave down the middle; 

 the cheeks are high. The front is slightly divergent, 

 the vertex slightly convergent ; the former bears a con- 

 spicuous tuft of long, stiff, while pile and 4 pairs of 

 long, stiff, black bristles ; vertex deeply excavated, but 

 the ocellar protuberance rather low bearing 3 or 4 pairs 



of black bristles and an additional equally long, weak, 

 white bristle. Eye facets enlarged. 



Thorax : The thorax is pollinose includmg pleuron. 

 The pile of the mesonotum is everywhere dense, sub- 

 erect, rather long setate ; a wide band of acrostical setae 

 present with on each side a narrow, bare stripe and all 

 the remainder of the lateral portion densely setate. 

 The setae give way to coarse pile above the wing, be- 

 hind the himiei-us and on the humenis. Dorsocentral 

 elements posteriorly become much longer as well as all 

 of tbe bristles in front of the scutellum. Lateral 

 bristles are stout and long, and consist of 4 humeral, 2 

 notopleural, 1 postsupraalar ; 3 to 6 weak, supraposta- 

 lar, 7 postalar, and the entire posterior half of the very 

 thick, convex, emarginate scutellum is covered with 

 numerous, extremely long, rather stout, black bristles ; 

 the lower apical row contains 8 to 10 paire; anterior 

 half of the scutellum with long, stiff pile. Pleuron 

 everywhere covered with long, fine, wliite pile. An- 

 terior pronotum with 3 or 4 weak bristles. Upper mar- 

 gin of mesoplem-on with numerous, long, erect, stiff, 

 black hairs and 4 or 5 weak, black bristles. Posterior 

 half of mesopleuron with 20 long, slender, black 

 bristles ; anterior prolongation with large tuft of long, 

 white pile ; upper sternopleuron with extensive tuft of 

 long pile, pteropleuron and posthypopleuron with simi- 

 lar long tufts; anterior hypopleuron apilose; meta- 

 pleuron pilose with vertical row of 12 to 15 long, stout, 

 black bristles. Metanotal slopes bullose, micropubes- 

 cent only. Lateral and ventral metasternum densely 

 long pilose; postmetacoxal area membranous; tegula 

 pubescent; anterior basalare with a conspicuous tuft 

 of 20 or more long, slender, black bristles and additional 

 stout hairs along its antero ventral margin. Squama 

 with a long multiple fringe of pile. 



Legs : Only the anterior femur is slightly thickened 

 towards the base; all pile is white, all bristles black. 

 Hind femur with 1 medioapical bristle and 1 additional 

 bristle a short distance behind it; also it has 6 lateral, 7 

 ventrolateral, 6 ventromedial which are slightly longer; 

 the hind tibia bears 6 moderately long dorsomedial, 5 

 equally long dorsolateral, 3 ventrolateral and in the 

 middle 1 or 2 weak ventral bristles; medial surface with 

 appressed setae extending from just before the middle 

 and continued on the first two tarsal segments; apex 

 with 1 dorsal, 1 lateral and 4 ventral bristles. Middle 

 femur with 1 posterior bristle before the middle, 3 stout 

 anterior bristles along the middle, 7 anteroventral, and 

 12 or more strong ventral bristles. Middle tibia bears 

 4 or 5 dorsal, 3 anterior, 3 jiosterior, 2 posteroventral, 

 and 2 strong ventral bristles situated on the outer half ; 

 ajjex with 2 dorsal, 2 posterior, 2 anterior and 4 ventral 

 bristles. Anterior femur with 5 rather strong ventral 

 bristles spread along the middle and with some slender, 

 erect, long, pale hairs ventrally. Anterior tibia with 5 

 dorsal, the basal 2 stout and longer, 3 or 4 posterior 

 dorsal and 2 long, quite stout ventral bristles on the 

 outer half; apical circlet of 10 bristles which are long 

 and stout. Tarsi end with long, thin, triuicate pul- 



