Phoridae. 73 



are narrow or not at all developed, only rarely they are a little broader 

 and a little descending below the eyes. The oral aperture is relatively 

 large, often larger in the female than in the male. There is a well 

 developed, thoiigh generally not long oral cone. The mouth and its 

 parts are mainly of the Muscid type; the clypeus lies as usual on the 

 front side of the oral cone; it is arched or somewhat roundly incised 

 in its distal margin, or more or less horse-shoe-shaped; when the oral 

 cone is longer the clypeus is also long and becomes forceps-shaped 

 as in species of Dohrniphora\ the basal part of clypeus is often spec- 

 ially developed and thickened, and in that case it is seen protruding 

 between the palpi and the antennæ, it is then always more protruding 

 in the female than in the male, and it may be very conspicuous 

 as in the females of Conicera. The proboscis is shorter or longer, and 

 in accordance herewith the length of the mouth parts varies. Labrum 

 is strong, more or less pear-shaped, arched and with the sides curved 

 downwards; it is pointed, the apex itself three-pointed ; it is of the 

 length of labium or shorter; hypopharynx lies in the bottom of labium, 

 it is shorter or longer and more or less blade-shaped, pointed, some- 

 times with the apex cleft and two-pointed, and it is hollowed with 

 the cavity upw^ards. Maxillæ are generally not developed, only in 

 Dohrniphora and some or all species of Hypocera they are present 

 as a small piece at the base of the palpus, so that it looks as if the 

 palpus was two-jointed; the maxillary palpi are well developed, 

 one-jointed (sometimes recorded as two-jointed, see above); they are 

 as a rule compressed and more or less club-shaped, along the lower 

 margin and at apex they bear a number of generally well developed 

 bristles; the palpi and their bristles may vary sexually, sometimes 

 the palpi are enlarged in the male and this may be to a high degree; 

 the bristles on the other hånd are sometimes small to very small in 

 the male while of normal size in the female ; when the palpi are larger 

 in the female than in the male this is due to the whole proboscis being 

 larger in the female. Labium consists as usual of the basal part and 

 the labella ; tliese parts may vary considerably as regards their relative 

 lengths; the basal part generally or always shows four bristles below, 

 two on each side, one behind the other; the labella are more or less 

 oval, pseudotracheae are present or wanting, sometimes the labella 

 has some curious chitinous hooks instead (Dohrniphora transformata). 

 Often the oral cone and proboscis are larger in the female than in the 

 male, a feature which may be more or less pronounced; sometimes 

 oral cone and proboscis are both very long, as in species of Dohrni- 



