346 Orthorrhapha brachycera. 



Drewsen has recorded it from Bøllemosen at the end of November, 

 It prefers the sea-shore and is only rarely found inland. 



Geographical distribution:— Europe down into Spain and Italy; 

 towards the north to northern Scandinavia. 



3. H. praecox Lehm. 



1822. Lehm. Programm Hamburg, 41 (Dolichopus). — 1824. Meig. 

 Syst. Beschr. IV, 64, 8 (Medeterus). — 1903. Kat. palaarkt. Dipt. II, 343. 

 — Medeterus inaequalipes Macq. 1834. Suit. å Buff. 1, 453, 5. — 1838. 

 Meig. Syst. Beschr. VII, 158, 34. — Hydrophorus inaequalipes 1843. Zett. 

 Dipt. Scand. II, 444, 4, et 1849. VIII, 3052, 4, et 1852. XI, 4273, 4. — 

 1857. Loew, Neue Beitr. V, 24. — 1862. Schin. F. A. I, 230. — Hydro- 

 phorus litoreus Fall. 1823. Dipt. Suec. Dol. 3, 3, p. p. 



Male. Head as high as broad; vertex and frons æneous, some- 

 what greyish pruinose at the sides. Epistoma broad, greyish white, 

 and palpi of the same colour. Occiput greenish, grey pruinose; post- 

 ocular bristles black, the hairs below v^hite. Jov^ls distinct, not broad, 

 grey. Antennæ black, third joint slightly longer than broad, pointed ; 

 arista a little longer than the antennæ. Thorax olive, sometimes 

 greenish, especially at the sides, and more or less with coppery 

 reflexes, a little pruinose, somewhat shining; in the middle there is a 

 dark stripe, divided by a very fine, pale line, and to each side of the 

 dark stripe the green colour forms more or less distinct stripes; dorso- 

 central bristles numerous. Scutellum with four bristles. Pleura greenish 

 or æneous, densely whitish grey pruinose; propleura with pale hairs 

 and one black prothoracic bristle. Abdomen somewhat flattened, 

 greenish, æneous or coppery, rather densely greyish white pruinose; 

 it is somewhat densely clothed with pale hairs, a little longer at the 

 sides. Venter grey. Hypopygium generally quite hidden. Legs quite 

 green, coxæ light grey pruinose, femora and tibiæ somewhat pruinose, 

 tarsi blackish. The legs have short, black hairs intermingled with 

 pale pubescence, the latter especially distinct towards the end of the 

 tibiæ and on the tarsi; coxæ pale-haired; front femora with a row 

 of short spines below towards the anterior side, and front tibiæ with 

 a dense row of short spines below, the apical large and strong, 

 besides with a few small dorsal bristles; posterior femora and tibiæ 

 with various scaltered, not long bristles. Wings somewhat long, 

 hyaline; veins black, paler towards the base; the last part of the 

 discai vein slightly curved, a little converging towards the cubital 

 vein. Squamulæ whitish, with a white fringe. Halteres whitish or 

 whitish yellow. 



Female. Epistoma not broader than in the male. Front femora 

 with two rows of spines, as there is, besides the row found in the 



