Empididae. 25 



black balteres. The legs are also more robust in both sexes, and the 

 hind tarsi, though simple, not so thin as in melaena. In immatm'e 

 specimens the legs may be brownish and the wings less darkened. 



B. spuria is very common in Denmark and has been taken 

 in many localities from the southernmost parts up to Sæby in 

 northern Jutland, and on Bornholm. It occurs in low herbage in 

 thickets and woods and on bushes, generally on somewhat open 

 piaces, and on meadows in woods; it is also seen outside woods on 

 fieids. It occurs during a long period of the summer, my dates are 

 5/6—13/10. 



Geographical distribution: — Europe down into Spain and Italy; 

 towards the north to northernmost Scandinavia. 



3. B. intermedia n. sp. 



Cyrtoma nigra: 1842. Zett. Dipt. Scand. I, 330, partim, specimina danica. 



Male. Epistoma blackish grey; occiput grey with black hairs. 

 Antennæ black. Thorax somewhat velvet black, a httle æneous and 

 somewhat shining; the bristles on the disc black, slightly longer than 

 in spuria^ the hinder dorsocentral bristles likewise long. Scutellum 

 greyish with black marginal bristles. Pleura dark grey. Abdomen 

 velvet black with somewhat long, black hairs, longest and erect at 

 the sides ; venter grey , with slightly shorter hairs. Legs black or 

 brownish, longer than in spuria; hind tibiæ thickened towards the 

 tip, the two first joints of the hind tarsi slightly thickened. Femora 

 with dorsal and ventral rows of hairs which are longest on the hind 

 femora, and those on the dorsal side are longer than the femora are 

 broad; tibiæ with similar rows the hairs of which are short and 

 dense on the ventral, longer but less denSe on the dorsal side; 

 all tibiæ with some longer bristles on the dorsal side. The usual 

 dense, reddish pubescence on front and hind tibiæ present. Tarsi with 

 short hairs, a little longer on the dorsal side of the hind tarsi. All 

 hairs on the legs black. Wings blackish brown tinged, most towards 

 the anterior margin ; the more saturated part is bounded almost as in 

 the preceding species. Veins black or brownish black; the discai vein 

 thin but distinct, the fork generally incomplete, the upper branch 

 being more or less interrupted at the base. The apical part of the 

 mediastinal cell brown but little conspicuous. The wings are metallic 

 iridescent, viewed towards the light they are scarcely so dark as the 

 wings of spuria and have a more reddish tint. Balteres black or 

 brownish black. 



Female. Thorax dark æneous, shining; abdomen dark greyish 



