Empididae. 203 



Meig. Syst. Beschr. VI, 334, 6. — Ocydromia nigripennis (non Fabr.): 

 1830. Meig. 1. c. 7. — Ocydromia melanopleura : 1840. Loew, Programm. 

 1840, 19, 4. 



Male. Epistoma very narrow, black shining; palpi blackish. Occiput 

 black, slightly shining, above with blackish, below with pale hairs. 

 Antennæ black. Thorax dark æneous, brightly shining. The dorso- 

 central and acrostichal bristles inconspicuous, very short and thin, 

 dark. There are some small hiimeral, a couple of notopleural, a 

 supraalar and a postalar bristle, but all very inconspicuous. The 

 præsutural depression is soniewhat densely clothed with short hairs. 

 Scutellum black, with six yellowish or brownish marginal bristles, the 

 two median long and straight, the lateral curved. Pleura black, 

 shining, downwards more reddish or yellowish. Abdomen black, 

 shining, on the sides the incisures a little pale; it is clothed with 

 long, erect, brownish or blackish hairs, those at the hind margin of 

 the segments longer and stronger. Venter blackish brown or more 

 or less pale, with a little shorter hairs. Legs yellowish, the posterior 

 femora more or less brownish, but pale towards the base; all tibiæ 

 and tarsi brown to brownish black. All legs are somewhat densely 

 and longish haired, the hairs are longest on the dorsal and ventral 

 side; below the femora the hairs are vertically erect, on the anterior 

 femora sparse and distant. All the hairs are lighter or darker brownish. 

 Wings blackish. Veins black. Stigma brown. Halteres darker or paler 

 brownish. 



The above description is from the male, such as it most com- 

 monly occurs here; it answers to melanojjleura Loew. A little less 

 common is the var. scidellata; it has the scutellum yellow, and like- 

 wise the pleura more or less yellowish, and the legs and halteres 

 lighter; also the brownish colour on abdomen is more extended. 



Female. Thorax yellowish or reddish, brightly shining, with a 

 smaller or larger, generally quadratic or rectangular blackish spot on 

 the middle in front. Scutellum and pleura yellow. Abdomen yellow, 

 with the hind part of the dorsal segments black; the hairs pale. Legs 

 yellow, the anterior tibiæ and all tarsi more or less brownish. Wings 

 hyaline. Halteres yellow. Such is the common form of the female 

 liere; it has been taken together with the common form of the male, 

 and in copula with it. The form answers to glahricula Meig. Not 

 rarely the female has the thoracic disc nearly quite black, only red- 

 dish behind, and the wings yellowish or a little brownish. This form 

 would about answer to dorsalis Meig. 



Length 3,5 — 4,5 mm. 



As seen from the 'description and the synonymicai list this species 



