Phoridae. 69 



lateral spots, stretching along the hind margin of the segments as 

 very narrow bands, first segment grey ; the hairs at the base of abdomen 

 more or less pale. Hypopygium large, the basal part elongated and 

 narrow, grey pruinose, ovipositor long and incurved, longer than the 

 basal part, black at base, reddish outwards, it is thick at the base 

 the basal part passing evenly into the ovipositor. Legs as in the male 

 but paler on tibiæ, and the tarsi brownish, hind tibiæ without long 

 anterodorsal ciliation; claws and especially piilvilli larger than in 

 the male. Wings with the stigma a little shorter than next costal 

 segment. 



Length 4 — 4,5 mm. 



V. aucta is more common in Denmark than the other species; 

 Ordrup Mose, Dyrehaven (Stæger, the author), Lyngby Mose, Ruder- 

 hegn, Faxe Ladeplads, in Jutland at Hejls south of Kolding (the 

 author) and at Fussingø (Schlick) and on Bornholm at Almindingen 

 and Rønne (H. J. Hansen); the dates are ^^e into July; a pupa was 

 taken in Ruderhegn in flood refuse on ^^U it developed on ^Ve (Kryger). 



Geographical distribution: — Europe down into Italy, towards 

 the north to middle Sweden. 



HYPOCERA. 



Phoridae. 



The family Phoridae I take here in the same sense as does Schmitz, 

 viz with exclusion of the Termitoxeniidae, which latter I consider 

 as a special family. The Termitoxeniidae are a family consisting of 

 very peculiar flies, in the fully developed stage with a large and 

 swollen abdomen, and this latter is of a singular construction with 

 the apical segments moved forwards and forming a protruding tube 

 more or less near the ventral base. They have been studied and 

 described especially by Wasmann in a series of papers, and further 

 by Assmuth, Bugnion, Schmitz and Silvestri. They are all termi- 

 tophilous; five genera are at present known with in all 15 species, 

 belonging to Africa and India. The family is in many respects very 

 nearly related to the Phoridae, but the species on the other hånd 

 show many special characters. They are all (or are said to be) pro- 

 terandric hermaphrodites, but this is doubted by Brues (1908), 



