144 KANSAS UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY. 



handsome Platyf^cza, to which it has been referred by Nathan Banks,* 

 WilIiston,t Aldrich (/// ////.) and Coquillett.j' To quote from Prof. 

 Townsend's second paper on Calotarsa: "As to the vaHdity of the 

 genus, it is, barring the neuration, quite as unique as before sup- 

 posed. It is much larger than any known Platypezidaa, which range 

 from i^'s to 3 mm., or at most 4 mm., and its color is quite different 

 from what is usual in that family. It does not agree in the structure 

 of its hind legs with Platypeza, to which genus it most nearly ap- 

 proaches in venation. In Platypeza the femora, tibiae and tarsi are 

 evenly widened and thickened in the hind legs. In Calotarsa the 

 hind femora and tibise are hardly at all wideried or thickened, while 

 the tarsi are greatly widened, flattened and winged. It is also re- 

 moved from Platypeza s. str. in certain neurational and antennal 

 characters for which see description, and in the prominent hypopygi- 

 um." 



Considering these points seriatim, that of size is unimportant. 

 Oniatipes is 5J2 mm., vcliitiiia reaches 4 mm.; vcniista n. sp. some- 

 times exceeds 4 mm.; calceata n. sp. varies from 4 to 6 mm. As to 

 coloration, oruaiipcs is very similar to calccata (PI. 12, figs, i and 3) 

 and not unlike pitlchra n. sp. whose male does not possess the ex- 

 treme tarsal development of the two former. Differences in colora- 

 tion must seem of insignificant generic import in Platypezidce when 

 we remember the sexual variations in this respect exhibited by such 

 species as Calloniyia amxna, and C. leptlformis. In ornatipcs the 

 hind legs are most certainly widened and thickened, but not in pro- 

 portion to the enormous enlargement of the tarsal joints. The same 

 may be said about the allied species calccata. The "certain neura- 

 tional and antennal characters" which remove (^V7;(i'///'^'j' from Platypeza 

 I have failed to find. Lastly the hypopygium shows no distinctive 

 character, as a comparison with other species of the genus will show. 



In 1S60 Loew described^ two African Platypezida^ and stated that 

 they were the first known extra-European members of the family. 

 Schiner in 1862 gave a list|| of thirty-one European species. In 

 1865 Loew described** seven species from America. In 1868 

 Schiner gave 39 as the number of species of PlatypezidK known 

 from the whole world. ff Three more American species were added 

 by Loew in 1869. J| From 1869 to 1892 I do not find any additional 



*L. c.,p. 88. 



tL. c, p. 113. 



;L,. c, p. 103. 



§Diptera of South Africa, p. 28.5. 



II Fauna Austria ca, Vol. 1, p. 239-243. 



**Diptera America) Septeutrionalis Indigena, Century VI, Nos. 76-83. 



t+Novara Expedition, Diptera, p. V, note. 



iiL. c, Century IX. Nos. 81-83. 



