489. 

 OPETIA LONCIiOPTEROIDES. 



I 



Order Diptera. Fam. Dolichopidije. 



Type of the Genus, Opetia nigra Mcig. 



Opetia Mcig., Hal., Curt. 



Antennce inserted near the middle of the face, approximating-, 

 nearly as long as the head, subsetaceous, pubescent, 5-jointed, 

 3 basal joints furnished with a few bristles, 1st somewhat cup- 

 shaped, 2nd a little larger, ovate, 3rd ovate conic or subfusiform, 

 4th minute, 5th a long seta hairy to the apex (3). 

 Labrum, Tongue, Mandibles and Maxilla undiscovered. 

 Palpi shorter than the lip, simply clavate and naked (1/). 

 Lip short bilobed and hairy (g). 

 Trophi small, situated at the lower part of the face (2 g). Head 

 transverse, face orbicular, with a line of bristles on each side : eyes 

 large, ovate and contiguous in front in the male (2) ; remote in the 

 female, with a few bristles on each side: ocelli 3, elevated on the 

 crown of the head. Thorax subglobose, oblique -ovate in profile, the 

 fore part being very gibbose and projecting over the head : scutellum 

 a little elevated. Abdomen 6-Jointed. Wings incumbent and pa- 

 rallel when at rest, rather short and broad, with 7 longitudinal ner- 

 vures, the 5th furcate (9). Halteres terminated by a rather large 

 obovate club. Legs simple : thighs a little stouter than the tibiaj, 

 which gradually thicken towards the apex : tarsi as long as the tibiae, 

 5-jointed, basal joint very long, the remainder ovate, slightly decreas- 

 ing in length : claws bent and acute : pulvilli small and hairy (8, « 

 fore leg). 



LoNCHOPTEROiDES Hal. — Curt. Guide, Gen. 1248*. 2. 



Piceous-black : antennae with the 3rd joint subfusiform, and as 

 long as the 1st and 2nd together ; seta equal in length to all the 

 other joints (fig. 3) : eyes reddish : wings fuscous, costa of a deeper 

 tint, the 3rd longitudinal and the furcate nervures the lightest ; 

 halteres pale fuscous, legs the same with an ochreous tinge. 



In the Cabinet of Mr. Haliday. 



An opinion has long been entertained by Mr. Haliday and 

 other Entomologists that there is a considerable affinity be- 

 tween the Empidae or Tachydromidae and Dolichopida?, and 

 the present genus seems to be one of the connecting links, 

 making an approach to Callomyia as well as to Cyrtoma and 

 Drapetis (pi. 397). I am at a loss to account for the intro- 



