Empididae. 15 



fumigation of the wings and the strength of the veins are found, and 

 all other characters e. g. also the shape of the exterior genitalia are 

 quite in agreement. 



H. femoratus is common in Denmark, occurring on bushes and 

 in low herbage on the ground in woods, on somewhat open, shaded 

 and huniid piaces, and it has been taken from the soiithernmost parts 

 up to Thisted in Jutland, and on Bornholm. The dates are ^Ve (excep- 

 tionally early) —^^h. I have not taken this species with prey; Poul- 

 ton records it (in the work cited above) from England with Sciara 

 sp. and Typhlocyha flammigera Geoff. as prey. 



Geographical distribution: — Europe down into Italy; towards 

 the north into Lapland but rare. 



3. H. culiciformis Fabr. 



1775. Fabr. Syst. Ent. 796, 24 {Asilus) et 1794. Ent. Sysl. IV, 389, 

 61 (Asilus), — 1804. Meig. Klass. eur. zweifl. Ins. I, 270, 5 (JsihcsJ. — 

 1805. Fabr. Syst. Antl. 172, 40 (Dasypogon). — 1862. Schin. F. A. I, 78. — 

 1903. Kat. palåarkt. Dipt. II, 219. — Hybos vitripennis : 1820. Meig. Syst. 

 Beschr. II, 348, 2. - 1842. Zett. Dipt. Scand. 1, 234, 3 et 1849. VIII, 

 2994, 3 et 1859. XIII, 4978, 3. — Hyhos infuscatus: 1842. Zett. Dipt. 

 Scand. I, 234, 2 p. p. et 1849. VIII, 2993, 2. — 1903. Kat. palåarkt. 

 Dipt. II, 219. — ? Hyhos rufitarsis: 1849. Zett. Dipt. Scand. VIII, 2994, 

 2-3. - 1903. Kat. palåarkt. Dipt. II, 220. 



Male. Epistoma grey; proboscis and palpi black, the latter with 

 black hairs. Occlput dark grey with black bristles. Antennæ black. 

 Thorax black, shining, but with a brownish pruinosity causing it to 

 be somewhat brownish and a little dullish; the pruinosity is especially 

 dense along the margin. The thoracic disc with longitudinal rows of 

 fine, erect, black hairs, forming dorsocentral and acrostichal rows, the 

 hindmost hairs in the rows long, somewhat strong, and yellow. The 

 notopleural, postalar and scutellar marginal bristles dark yellow. 

 Pleura greyish pruinose. Abdomen black, but with a brownish prui- 

 nosity like that on thorax, but leaving the side margins and broad 

 hind margins of the segments black. Abdomen clothed with yellow 

 hairs which are long at the sides but very short along the middle; 

 the last segment with long hairs at the hind margin. Venter with 

 scarce, medium-long, yellow hairs, longer towards the apex. The 

 exterior genitalia strongly swollen. The legs have the hind femora 

 only moderately thickened; the colour of the legs is shining black, 

 the knees indistinctly reddish ; coxæ greyish pruinose ; the hind femora 

 are less shining than in the two preceding species; sometimes the 

 base of the tarsi or nearly the whole tarsi are more or less reddish, 

 and the same may be the case with the middle tibiæ. The coxæ 



