244 Orthorrhapha brachycera. 



Female. Epistoma broad, greyish white. Palpi large, grey. An- 

 tennæ shorter than in the male, but almost as long as the head, 

 third joint about as long as broad. Thorax not silvery, slightly greyish 

 white pruinose, especially at the sides, and most densely at the humeri. 

 Hind coxæ often more yellow than in the male. Abdomen metallic 

 green or dark æneous, greyish white pruinose, especially down the 

 sides, with a yellow side spot on the second and sometimes also on 

 the third segment, and with the base of the venter yellow. Hind 

 femora as a rule quite yellow, or very slightly brownish at the tip; 

 the femora mainly short-haired. 



Length 4 to about 5 mm. 



A. argentina is perhaps a little more common in Denmark than 

 argyria; Charlottenlund, Ordrup Mose, Lyngby Mose, Ørholm, Hillerød, 

 Tørslev near Jægerspris, Sorø and Faxe Ladeplads; on Funen at Vef- 

 hnge; in Jutland in Vejle Nørreskov, Hy and Laven near Silkeborg, 

 Nebsager near Horsens, and on Bornholm in Almindingen. My dates 

 are ^"/e — ^'*/y. It occurs in the same way as the two preceding species 

 and sometimes in company with them. 



Geographical distribution: — Europe down into Spain and Italy; 

 towards the north to middle Scandinavia. 



Remarks: The three species leucocephala, argyria and argentina 

 are in the males rather easily distinguished by the antennæ, and also 

 by other characters as the hairiness of the legs, the hairs of the base 

 of the venter, and several others. The females are very similar, 

 but may, I think, be distinguished with certainty; the antennæ are, 

 as in the males, shortest in leucocephala^ longer in argyria and 

 longest in argentina; leucocephala has a black or brownish squamular 

 fringe, argyria and argentina have it pale, generally palest in argen- 

 tina; this latter is further distinguished from argyria by the hind 

 coxæ being yellow at the apex, the generally quite yellow hind femora, 

 which at most are somewhat brownish at the apex, the yellow spots 

 on abdomen and the always yellow base of the venter; fmally argen- 

 tina has the discai bend placed nearer the cross-vein than the apex, 

 while in argyria it lies in or about in the middle; 1 think this latter 

 character together with the length of the antennæ are the best, while 

 the colour of the tip of the hind femora is not to be rehed upon; 

 argentina is also a smaller species. A distinguishing character of these 

 three species is also found in the small hairs on the posterior side of the 

 ocellar tubercle, but as my material of argyria is rather small, I am 

 not quite certain in this respect, and the character will have to be 

 confirmed by a larger material; in the male of leucocephala these 

 hairs are somewhat numerous and rather long, in the female there 



