Empididae. 273 



not been able to examine. Thorax is slightly elongated, almost qua- 

 dratic; pro- and metathorax small. The thoracic disc is only clothed 

 with short hairs, which are, however, divided into dorsocentral and 

 acrostichal hairs by two narrow, bare stripes. A notopleural bristle, 

 a supraalar and a postalar bristle present. Scutellum with two mar- 

 ginal bristles. Metapleura bare. Abdomen consists of eight segments, 

 but the last are in the male hidden; the exterior genitalia in the 

 male are somewhat large, and resemble those in Tachtjpeza. In the 

 female the abdomen is pointed, and it terminates with two small, 

 styhform lamellæ. The legs are somewhat slender, the front coxæ 

 almost not elongated; they are short-haired, with few bristles. The 

 front tibiæ have small apieal spurs. There are two claws, two pulvilli, 

 and a small, somewhat claw-shaped empodium. Wings with the 



Fig. 124. Wing of E. ephijypiata. 



mediastinal vein short, not reaching the margin; the subcostal and the 

 radial vein likewise short, the first terminating before the middle of 

 the wing; the cubital vein unforked, one cubital cell; the discai vein 

 likewise unforked and three posterior cells; no discai cell; the lower 

 branch of the postical vein and the anal vein wanting, thus no anal 

 cell. No stigma. First basal cell short, the second much longer. 

 Axillary lobe small, the axillary angle very shallow. No alula, the 

 margin here fringed. Alar squamula very small and narrow, with a 

 few long hairs. 



The developm ental stages are not known. 



The small species occurs mainly in woods in low herbage. 



To the genus only one palæarctic species belongs, also occurring 

 in Denmark. 



1. E. ephippiata Fall. 



1815. Fall. Dipt. Suec. Empid. 11, 14 (Taehydromia) . — 1822. Meig. 

 Syst. Beschr. III, 65,8, Tab. XXIII, Fig. 10 {Hemer odromia). — 1842. Zett. 

 Dipt. Scand. I, 326,1. — 1862. Schin. F. A. I, 95. — 1903. Kat. paliiarkt. 

 Dipt. II, 278. 



Male. Vertex and frons brownlsh black: palpi yellow. Occiput 

 dark brown or blackish, with pale brownish bristles and hairs. Antennæ 



18 



