Order Diptera. Fam. RhagionidsE Lat. 



Type of the Genus, Anthrax Ibis Fab. 



Atherix Meig., Lat., Macq., Curt. — Rhagio Fab., Lat. — Anthrax, Bibio, 

 — Leptis Fab. 



Antennce small, porrected, approximating, much shorter than the head, 

 4-jointed ; 2 basal joints nearly globose, bristly ; third transverse, 

 semi-globose, with a long naked seta inserted on the upper side. (3.) 

 Labrum long and robust, channeled beneath. (1, b.) 

 Tongue subulate, very acute, nearly as long as the labrum, (c.) 

 Mandibles none. 



Maxillce rather broad, attenuated, acute, as long as the labrum (e.) : 

 Palpi porrected, pilose, subcylindric, incurved, biarticulate ; basal 

 joint elongate-ovate; second attenuated, longer than the maxilloe. (f.) 

 Mentum robust, narrovv^ at the base, (h.) Lip hairy, longer than the 

 palpi ; apex large, bilobed. (g.) 

 Proboscis projecting a little beyond the head which is hemisjoherical, trans- 

 verse, and narrower than the thorax. Eyes large and contiguous in the 

 males ; remote in the females. Ocelli 3, approximating on the crotvn. 

 Thorax subglobose, anterior angles slightly tuberculated. Halteres with a 

 trigonate club. Abdomen conical and elongated in the males ; short, broad 

 and ovate in the females. Wings divaricating , with many cells, submar- 

 ginal nervure furcate. Legs rather long, posterior pair stout in the males. 

 Tarsi 5 -jointed } hinder the shortest. Clavi^s and pul villi minute. 



\Ibis Fab.— Curt. Guide, Gen. 1190. 1. 



Male hairy ; head black, eyes green when alive : thorax blackish, with 

 four cinereous lines down the back : scutellum and basal segment of 

 abdomen deep black, the three next segments orange, with a black 

 spot in the centre of each, and sometimes fuscous spots down the 

 sides ; two following segments orange, with 2 black bands ; terminal 

 joint ferruginous ; apex black : wings with the costa and three irre- 

 gular transverse spots fuscous : legs ochreous : tarsi black. Female 

 cinereous green, with woolly yellowish hairs : 4 pale longitudinal 

 stripes down the thorax, and margins of abdominal segments of the 

 same pale colour ; sometimes with a black streak at the base of each : 

 wings larger and paler than in the male : legs ochreous : tarsi black 

 at the apex. 



In the Author's and other Cabinets. 



Although nothing is known of the economy of these insects, we 

 i.Tiay conclude from their close affinity to Rhagio and Thcreva, that 

 t is not very dissimilar to those genera. 



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