ROBBER FLIES OF THE WORLD 



485 



losity pubescent only. Postmetacoxal area mem- 

 branous ; the presternum dissociated. 



Legs: The hind femur only moderately stout; the 

 middle pair is a little swollen and the anterior pair 

 considerably swollen dorsally. The pile is fine, ap- 

 pressed and setate. The ventral surface of the hind 

 femur has 6 or 7 pale, slender bristles, the black, re- 

 maining bristles of the legs are stout basally, but un- 

 usually slender and sharp, long and slightly curved. 

 The hind femur bears 3 dorsolateral, 4 ventrolateral, 



1 dorsomedial at the subapex, and 3 medial bristles at 

 the apex. The hind tibia has 3 dorsolateral bristles 

 evenly distributed with 1 at the base and 1 ventrolateral 

 on the outer fourth ; apex with 5 bristles. Middle fe- 

 mur with 3 anterior and 5 anteroventral bristles and 1 

 at tlie apex posteriorly ; the whole posterior surface is 

 nearly bare. Middle tibia with 2 fine anterodorsal and 



2 posterodorsal, 2 posteroventral and 2 anteroventral 

 bristles. Anterior femur bare on posterior surface. 

 The anterior femur bears at the middle 1 posteroventral 

 bristle. Bristles of the anterior four tibiae are re- 

 duced. Anterior tibia similar but with a single, basal, 

 conspicuous, anterodorsal bristle and with the posterior 

 bristles longer. Claws long, slender, sharp ; the pulvilli 

 and empodium also long. 



Wings : The marginal cell is closed with a moderately 

 long stalk ; this cell a little widened and rippled. The 

 anterior branch of the third vein ends a little before 

 the apex of the wing, the posterior branch and equal 

 distance behmd. Fourth posterior cell closed and 

 stalked, the anal cell likewise; the alula large; the 

 ambient vein complete. 



Abdomen : The abdomen is cylindroid and compara- 

 tively narrow, but in the males it is widened basally 

 on the second segment and on the females tapered and 

 acute posteriorly. Surface pollinose, the pile rather 

 scanty, in part fine but tending near the middle of the 

 tergites to be setate and all of the pile flat appressed, 

 except on the sides of the first three tergites. The first 

 tergite laterally has 4 pairs of slender bristles and a 

 number of bristly hairs. Subposterior margin laterally 

 on the second or third segments with a transverse row 

 containing 4 or 5 distinct bristles ; and weaker bristly 

 hairs are present in a similar location on the remaining 

 tergites. Males with eight tergites, eighth is completely 

 concealed in the middle and only visible laterally. Fe- 

 males with seven tergites exclusive of the ovipositor. 

 Male terminalia comparatively large, the superior 

 forceps divergent with a distal, paddlelike prong or 

 process ; the large, thin proctiger is oblique. The gono- 

 pod long and the hypandrium prominent with elongate, 

 medial, somewhat upturned, spoonlike process. The fe- 

 male terminalia is cylindrical on the basal half, the 

 outer half of the long eighth segment is rather abruptly 

 compressed in the middle, so that the terminal portion 

 is laterally compressed as flat as a leaf. Ninth and 

 tenth segments elongate, the latter free. 



Distribution: Neotropical: Cerozodus nodicomis 

 Wiedemann (1828). 



Genus Eccoptopus Loew 

 PiGUEEs 359, 745, 1423, 1432, 2264, 2324 



Eccoptopus Loew, Abh. naturw. Ver. Halle, vol. 2, p. 144, 1860. 

 Type of genus : Asilus longUarsis Macquart, 1838, by orig- 

 inal designation; also, Beschreib. eiiropaischer Dipteren, 

 vol. 2, p. 122, 1871. 



Coelop-us Becker, Zeitschr. syst. Hymen, und Dipt., vol. 7, p. 58, 

 1907. Type of genus: Coelopus lucidus Becker, 1907, by 

 original designation. 



Comparatively large flies, characterized by the ex- 

 ceptionally long, anterior basitarsus. The face has a 

 low gibbosity, wliich bears dense, rather long, bristly 

 pile ; the exceptionally and remarkably long, dense, fine 

 and bushy pile of the lower occiput is conspicuous and 

 the ventral propleural pile is correspondingly copious. 

 There is a prescutellar group of long bristles and 7 

 pairs of scutellar bristles. The sides of the first three 

 or four abdominal segments bear long pile. The wings 

 are broad across the base. Length 28 mm. 



Head, lateral aspect: The face in profile is moder- 

 ately developed and at a level correspondmg to the 

 upper fourth it is very slightly and greatly produced 

 forward, so that the facial elevation is low and incon- 

 spicuous. The eyes are strongly convex anteriorly and 

 distinctly recessed anteriorly below. The occiput is of 

 moderate thickness and gradually diminished toward 

 the vertex. Dorsal occipital jjile unusually dense and 

 abundant, abundant also in the middle, but below on 

 the lower third it forms exceptionally long, dense tufts 

 of fine, bushy pile, completely obscuring the postero- 

 ventral part of the head. Beginning at the lower third 

 of the occii^ut are about 25 pairs of weak bristles, which 

 become longer and stout and strong dorsally. The pro- 

 boscis is rather small and short with a high, dorsal 

 ridge, obliquely truncate at apex ; the base is unswollen 

 and bears a few, stiff hairs below; apex with a little pile 

 laterally and ventrally. Palpus of one segment with 

 stiff, apical bristles. The antenna is attached slightly 

 above the middle of the head; the first segment is li/^ 

 times as long as the second, the second short, a little 

 widened distally. The third segment is three times as 

 long as its basal width, strongly attenuate from base, 

 with a distinct microsegment and short style, which is 

 no longer than the whole segment. The first segment 

 bears a few, fine, subapical hairs and more nmnerous, 

 longer, stiff setae below; second segment with a few, 

 short setae above and below. 



Head, anterior aspect : Subepistomal area small, con- 

 cave and pubescent. The face is pubescent and bears 

 dense, abundant, moderately long, stiff pile down the 

 middle, with the pilose area expanding below but be- 

 ginning only at the upper edge of the gibbosity. Along 

 the anterior and lateral epistomal margin the pile gives 

 way to long, slender, numerous bristles. Front slightly 

 divergent, the vertex a little more convergent. On the 



