THE BIBIONID^. 159 



6^. inermis, Ruthe = 6'. so/u/n, Lw. 



A widespread and common species. Black, with costal, sub-costal, 

 and radial veins testaceous, others pale, almost white. First vein 

 ends at a little beyond one-third length of wing ; second ends at 

 about two-thirds and far from the border. Legs blackish brown, pale 

 towards the tips. Verrall records it from Exeter, Cambridge, Winder- 

 mere, and (iairloch. 



.S. davipes, Lw. 



A shining black species, with thick, long antennae and with stout, 

 black legs. Radial vein ending with costal at much before two-thirds 

 of the length of the wing. 



The following are also British species, viz., 6". geniculata, Zett. (D. 

 Scand., ix. 3401-5), S. tristis, Zett. (D. S., ix. 3404, 8), S. talp^e, 

 Ver., ^. coxendix, Ver., and .S'. platysceiis, Lw. 



Genus. — Aspistes, 'Mg. = Ar/Zina, Kirby. 



Small ; body shining, nearly bare, broad and short. Head 

 roundish, small. Proboscis and palpi not seen or very slightly pro- 

 truding. Eyes remote, small; ocelli three; antennae 12-jointed, 

 cylindrical, a little longer than the head ; joints transverse cyathi- 

 form ; last joint large, hairy ; third joint small, joints gradually 

 getting larger. Thorax convex, broad. Scutellum small, transverse. 

 Abdomen broad, eight segments, depressed. Legs stout and short, 

 fine pubescence ; coxae large ; fore femora very thick, with a few 

 bristles on the ventral surface ; fore tibia; with long apical spine ; 

 short spurs on the hind tibire ; metatarsus of hind legs as long as 

 the tarsal joints together. Wings wide, bare, hyaline ; first longi- 

 tudinal vein rudimentary ; second or radial dark, and ending before 

 half the length of the wing ; third longitudinal vein curved and 

 ending on the anterior border before two-thirds of the length ; fourth 

 and fifth simple and arising from the third ; the sixth and seventh veins 

 distinct, and meeting the border. The latter vein often has a distinct 

 angulation. Schiner* says concerning the metamorphosis : " Ueber 

 die Metamorphose ist mir nichts Positives bekannt geworden ; 

 v. Winthem vermuthet, dass die Larven an Tussiiai^o petasites oder 

 spuria leben durften ; sicher und durch Zellers und Scholtz's Beobach- 

 tungen ausser zweifel gesetzt ist, dass die P'liegensich besonders 

 haufig an sandigen Stellen, wo die genannten Pflanzen nicht vorkom- 

 men, vorfinden." Fig. 5, PI. iii. 



* Schiner, Die FUegen, vol. ii., p. 34S. 



