h 



697. 

 PHASIA SPECIOSA. 



Order Diptera. Fam. Muscidse. 



Type of the Genus, Syrphus hemipterus Fab. 

 Phasia Lat., Meig., Macq., Curt. — Hyalomyia Desv. — Syrphus, 

 Thereva Fab. — Conops Linn. 



Antenna inserted under a slight protuberance of the forehead, 

 short, drooping, approximating and 5-jointed, basal joint short 

 stout and a little bristly above, 2nd twice as large, somewhat 

 obovate-truncate and bristly above, 3rd the longest and broadest, 

 ovate, 4th a small joint attached near the base of the 3rd ; 5th 

 setiform, not very long, pubescent, incrassated at the base (3). 

 Labrum rather long, horny lanceolate and acuminated (16). 

 Tongue shorter and slenderer (c). 

 Mandibles and Maxillce none. 



Palpi exserted, attached far behind the labrum, nearly as long 



as the tongue, slender, clavate, and hairy {f). 



Labium exserted, long, geniculated and hairy, terminating in 2 



large lobes {g). 



Males smaller than the females. Head sAor^, subtrigonate, crown very 



deflexed in the female, face nearly vertical, a little concave, with a 



line of bristles on each side, and pubescent in the male (2 the profile, 



2* the full face) : eyes very large, ovate -trig onate, nearly contiguous 



in both sexes : ocelli 3, forming a triangle at the base of the head. 



Thorax narrower than the head, suborbicular : scutel transverse- 



trigonate. Abdomen depressed, suborbicular and broader than the 



thorax, pubescent and 5-jointed, the apex armed beneath with a strong 



claw in the male, inclosed in a sheath. Wings divaricating, very 



broad in the female (9) .• Squamulse moderately large, concealing 



the Halteres, which are slender and capitate. Legs stout : tibiee, 



hinder curved and rather stout : tarsi 5 -jointed, basal joint the longest, 



4th obtrigonate : claws long slender and curved : pulvilli bilobed, 



long and dilated at the apex. 



Speciosa Curt. Guide, Gen. 1269. 



Blackish, pubescent ; face silvery or silky- white, yellowish 

 above, bluish below : palpi ochreous, antennae brownish, with 

 a whitish tinge ; eyes castaneous : thorax shining- white, with 

 4 deep black stripes at the base, all united before, two short 

 ones on the disc and a long one on each side ; scutel bluish- 

 black : abdomen bluish-grey, with a rosy tinge on the back, 

 1st segment black at the base, the others with a narrow black 

 margin and a blackish dorsal line in some lights : wings very 

 broad, bright ochreous at the base, variegated with fuscous on 

 the costa, a spot on the 2nd longitudinal nervure, a short space 

 on the 3rd, and the transverse nervure margined with fuscous, 

 forming an angular mark. 



In the Cabinet of Mr. Rudd. 



There seems to be great difficulty in ascertaining the sexes 

 of this group, which are very dissimilar, and there is a great 

 diversity of opinion upon the subject : never having seen the 

 insects alive, and possessing only old specimens, I am unable 



