526 



tTNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 24 



fourth and fifth tergites with 2 bristles. Stemites with 

 scattered pile only. The female seventh tergite is 

 strongly compressed laterally, perhaps forming part of 

 the ovipositor. Female terminalia strongly compressed 

 laterally; the eighth tergite is elongate, considerably 

 longer than the seventh and bears in tlie middle below 

 2 or 3 pairs of weak bristles. 



Distribution : Ethiopian : Synolcus acrohaptus Wie- 

 demann (1828) ; aurulentus Engel (1929) ; dubius 

 Macquart (1846); griseus Engel (1927); signatus 

 Loew (1858) ; tenuiventris Lioew (1S58). 



Genus Hobbyus Bromley 

 Figures 339, 714, 1454, 1464, 2253, 2297, 2493, 2497 



Mcrogymnus Hobby, Ent. Monthly Mag., vol. 69, p. Ill, 1933. 

 Type of genus : Merogymnus nigroflavipes Hobby, 1933, by 

 original designation. Preoccupied Pisces, 1908. 



HoVhyus Bromley, Durban Mus. Novitates, no. 4, p. 21, 1952. 

 Change of name. 



Flies with tapered abdomen and high mesonotum. 

 The face is moderately prominent and gently arched 

 and convex, beginning at the antenna. The tergites 

 bear distinct bristles, the sternites with none. Costa 

 expanded anteriorly. The rectangular anterior cross- 

 vein and unexpanded base of the second posterior cell 

 separates it from its allies. Length 17 mm. 



Head, lateral aspect: The face is moderately long 

 and gently convex ; the gibbosity begins at the base of 

 the antenna. The eye is moderately convex anteriorly, 

 strongly recessive on the lower fourth. The occiput is 

 short and more or less equally developed throughout, 

 following the eye ventrally. Pile of occiput dense, fine, 

 rather long and brownish yellow along the middle and 

 the ventral half ; on the upper third are some slender, 

 bristly hairs which become stronger dorsally but never 

 stout; the doreal elements are strongly proclinate and 

 all occipital pile and bristles yellow. The proboscis is 

 rather slender and elongate with parallel sides from 

 the lateral aspect; it is slightly tapered to the apex 

 from the dorsal aspect ; the apex is bhmtly pointed ; the 

 base and the sides on the basal two-thirds bear nu- 

 merous, long, fine, yellow hairs. The proboscis extends 

 a little beyond the face and is thrust obliquely down- 

 ward; it has no dorsal ridge. Palpus cylindrical, 

 rather short and with only stiff hairs apically. The an- 

 tenna is attached at the upper forth of the head ; the 

 first and second segments are somewhat lengthened and 

 equal in length. The third segment is only a little 

 longer than the second and bears a distinct, short micro- 

 segment followed by a somewhat flattened style wluch 

 is approximately as long as the third segment or a little 

 shorter. 



Head, anterior aspect: The face below the antenna 

 is more than a fourth the head width and scarcely 

 widened below. Subepistomal area is long, oblique, 

 pubescent, very slightly concave with a medial ridge. 

 Face densely pollinose with numerous, long, black 



bristles or bristly hairs on the upper half; it bears still 

 longer, neaxly straight, somewhat stouter, brownish yel- 

 low bristles on the lower half. There are bristly hairs 

 along the lateral subepistomal margin ; whole face, ex- 

 cept the lower cheeks, pollinose. Sides of front with 

 numerous, fine, long, bristly hairs; vertex moderately 

 excavated, the ocellarium comparatively low with 2 

 pairs of long, slender, bristly hairs between the ocelli, 

 2 pairs between the posterior ocelli and 1 pair behind. 

 Anterior eye facets only very slightly enlarged. 



Thorax: There is present an irregular row of fine, 

 comparatively short, acrostical bristles. A few of the 

 elements on the extreme anterior margin are slightly 

 longer and they are poorly separated from the similar, 

 bristly, lateral pile. There is a comparatively narrow, 

 bare space beside them. Dorsocentral bristles are long 

 and slender, there are 4 long, moderately stout noto- 

 pleural bristles, no supraalar bristles, 1 postsupraalar, 

 1 suprapostalar, 2 postalar, and 1 pair of scutellar 

 bristles. Scutellum thick, convex, with distinctly im- 

 pressed rim. No lateral pronotal bristles. There is 

 a fine pile on the pteropleuron, upper mesopleuron, 

 scantily on the posterior sternopleuron but more abun- 

 dant anteriorly. There are a few, long bristles vertical- 

 ly on the posthypopleui-on, a band of slender, bristly 

 hairs on the metapleuron ; the lateral slopes of the meta- 

 notum lack pile and are pubescent only, creased medial- 

 ly; lateral and ventral metasternum pilose; postmeta- 

 coxal area membranous; tegula pubescent only. 



Legs : All the femora are stout ; the anterior and mid- 

 dle pairs are somewhat swollen towards the base; all 

 bear dense, fine, setate i^ile dorsally and on the hind pair 

 laterally. Ventral surfaces of anterior and middle 

 femora with dense, long, coarse, pale pile, especially 

 abundant towards the base; the middle femur has a 

 moderately dense, ventral, medial fringe of shorter, pale 

 pile. On the hind femur the bristles are stout and pale 

 and consist of 7 ventrolateral, 5 dorsolateral (or more 

 nearly lateral, as they are just above the middle), 1 

 subapical doreomedial, and 1 quite at the apex and 6 

 ventromedial. The liind tibia has fine, short pile ven- 

 trally and poorly developed, appressed, fine setae ven- 

 trally with bristles which consists of 3 dorsomedial, 3 

 dorsolateral, 3 ventrolateral bristles which begin at the 

 middle. The tibiae are rather slender. The middle 

 femur has 2 stout, anterior bristles, 3 similar anteroven- 

 tral, 2 shorter bristles posterodorsally at the apex. Mid- 

 dle tibia with only very slender bristles or bristly hairs 

 posterodorsally and posteriorly but with 3 long, strong 

 bristles ventrally on the outer half. Anterior femur 

 without bristles; its tibia is similar to the middle tibia 

 and bears 5 short, posterodorsal elements at the middle 

 and beyond and 2 rather long, slender, ventral bristles 

 and 3 still more slender, posterior bristles on tlie outer 

 half. Claws long, slender, sharp, chiefly bent at the 

 apex ; pulvilli well developed ; empodium about half as 

 long as the claw and bristlelike. 



"Wings: The marginal cell is very strongly widened, 

 and together with the submarginal cell strongly rippled. 

 The subcostal cell is quite nan-ow throughout its length, 



