ROBBER FLIES OF THE WORLD 



557 



and a few stout bristles. Metanotal callosity with pile. 

 Metastemum pilose. Postmetacoxal area membranous ; 

 the prosterniim is fully dissociated. 



Legs: The first four femora are stout and a little 

 swollen especially toward the middle and the base. All 

 the femora and tibiae are comparatively long, especial- 

 ly the hind pair, which are rather slender. Pile of the 

 legs fine, subappressed, setate and abundant. Bristles 

 are mmierous but are unusually slender, with quite fine 

 apices. The hind femur bears 4 lateral bristles, 5 ven- 

 trolateral, 7 or 8 ventromedial bristles and at the sub- 

 apex a prominent bristle on each side; at the apex only 

 1 or sometimes 2 small, slender bristles on tlie dorso- 

 medial aspect. Hind tibia bears 3 or 4 dorsolateral in- 

 cluding a stout element at the base, 5 to 7 dorsomedial 

 bristles and 2 or 3 ventrolateral elements ; at the apex 

 are 8 bristles. Middle femur with a stout, apical, pos- 

 terior bristle, 3 conspicuous bristles anteriorly and 3 

 anteroventrally, besides 5 or 6 slender, posteroventral 

 bristles concentrated on the basal half. The middle 

 tibia bears 2 anterodorsal bristles near the middle, 3 

 posterodorsal, 2 conspicuous anteroventral bristles, 1 

 posterior, and 1 posteroventral bristle. Anterior femur 

 with 1 or 2 well developed bristles at the apex anteriorly 

 and a row of moderately stout bristles ventrally chiefly 

 on the basal part. On anterior tibia there is generally 

 a prominent bristle dorsally at the base, several quite 

 weak bristles dorsally on either side, and 3 to 6 long, 

 slender bristles posteriorly in 2 rows. Anterior basi- 

 tarsus as long as the next 2 segments. Posterior basi- 

 tarsus at least as long as the next three. The claws are 

 comparatively slender, sharp, and the pulvilli and em- 

 podium well developed. 



Wings : The venation is rather similar to Asilus but 

 with the base of the second posterior cell only gently 

 and moderately widened. The base of the second sub- 

 marginal cell is formed as in Asilus and the anterior 

 branch of the third vein ends a little before the wing 

 apex and posterior branch a little farther behind. In 

 the type of the genus the third vein forks well beyond 

 the discal cell, and the posterior crossvein is much 

 longer than the end of the discal cell. 



Abdomen : The abdomen is comparatively slender 

 and cylindroid; the first segment is conspicuously 

 wider than the remaining segments. Sides of first ter- 

 gite with 4 or 5 pairs of bristles. The lateral third of 

 the posterior margin on all the remaining tergites bears 

 conspicuous bristles. Pile of abdomen scanty, fine, sub- 

 appressed and setate but becomes longer on the sides of 

 the first three segments. Sternites with long, fine, scat- 

 tered, bristly hairs, but no stout bristles. Most of the 

 abdomen is pollinose. The last three segments are 

 sometimes shining. Males with eight tergites, the 

 eighth is either short or moderately long, almost as long 

 dorsally as laterally. Females with five tergites ex- 

 clusive of the ovipositor. Male terminalia rather large 

 and clublike, the superior forceps not long but high 

 and broad at the base, tending toward the apex to curve 

 slightly toward the midline, so that dorsally there is an 



enclosed space a little like that of Philonicus Loew ; it 

 is tilted upward. Superior forceps with a deep, lateral 

 constriction. Gonopod broad basally with a stout, 

 apical process emitted at a right angle and the whole 

 structure so bent that there is a gap lying between it 

 and the superior forceps, somewhat as in Astochia 

 Becker. Hypandrium rather long and prominent and 

 apparently fused laterally to the constricted base of the 

 superior forceps, and with numerous, long, ventral, stiff 

 hairs. Proctiger long, protruded, and nearly erect. 

 The ovipositor consists of five segments of progres- 

 sively diminishing size, all of them rather strongly com- 

 pressed laterally and with the tenth segment free; no 

 spines present ; there are scanty, long, fine, bristly hairs 

 on all segments. 



Distribution: Nearctic: Neoitamus afjinis Williston 

 (1893) ; hrevicomus Hine (1909) ; coquilletti Hine 

 (1909) ; favofewomtusHmQ (1909) i=flavipesW\\\\'S.- 

 ton (1893) not Wiedemann] ; hardyi Bromley (1938) ; 

 m-phne Walker (1849) \_ = anceps Wulp (1869), dis- 

 tinctus Williston (1893)]; terviinalis Hine (1909). 



Neotropical : Neoitamus capillatus Williston (1901) ; 

 nigrocaudatus Williston (1901). 



Palaearctic: Neoitamus angusticornis Loew (1858); 

 cothurnatus Meigen (1820) [ = aestivus Zetterstedt 

 (1842)]; cyaneocinctus Pandelle (1905); cyanurus 

 Loew (1849) [=aestivus Meig&n (1820) in part, faesti- 

 vus Schrank (1781), fniger DeGeer (1776), ftabidus 

 Meigen (1820), tilialis Fallen (1814) not Fabricius] ; 

 dasymallus Gerstaecker (1861) ; impudicm Gerstaecker 

 (1861) ; rubrofemoratus Kicardo (1919) ; soc'ius Loew 

 (1871) {=aestivus Meigen (1820) in part] ; splendidus 

 Oldenberg (1912); univittatus Loew (1871). 



Ethiopian: Neoitamus africanus Ricardo (1919); 

 armatus Becker (1909) ; morio Bezzi (1914) ; rieavensis 

 Ricardo (1919) ; podagncus Bezzi (1914). 



Oriental: Neoitamus aurifer Hermaim (1917); cey- 

 lonicus Ricardo (1919) ; dipygus Schiner (1868) ; doli- 

 churus Becker (1925) ; fertUis Becker (1925) ; grandis 

 Ricardo (1919); griseus Wiedemann (1821); Mndo- 

 stani Ricardo (1919) ; inornatus Ricardo (1919) ; java- 

 nensis de Meijere (1914) ; khasiensis Bromley (1935) ; 

 nigricans Ricardo (1919); normalis Walker (1862); 

 pediformis Becker (1925); pulcher Ricardo (1919); 

 rubripes Hermann (1917) ; simnensis Ricardo (1919) ; 

 strigipes Becker (1925) ; tarsalis Ricardo (1919) ; frop«- 

 CMS Ricardo (1919). 



Australian : Neoitamus alcetas Walker (1849) ; hulbus 

 Walker (1849); divaricatus Wh.\t& (1917); hyalipen- 

 nis Ricardo (1913) ; in/vohitus Walker (1861) [=-den- 

 tipes Wulp (1872)]; leucopogon de Meijere (1913); 

 maculatoides Hardy (1920) ; maculatus Wliite (1914) ; 

 melanopygus Wulp (1898) ; mistlpes Macquart (1849) ; 

 planiceps Schiner (1868) ; mdis Walker (1855) ; spini- 

 cauda Wulp (1898); varius Walker (1849). 



Verrall (1909) in his appendix list of Palaearctic 

 species, considered that Moses Harris' species Asilus 

 tipuloides, 1782, falls in synonymy under Neoitamus 

 cyanurus. See addendum (p. 595) for other synonymy. 



hi 



