Hypocera. 163 



or somewhat above apex; hind tibiæ generally with two anterior 

 bristles, one above the middle and one, sometimes spur-like or very 

 weak, at apex, but sometimes with only the latter bristle or, on the 

 other hånd, with more (2— 3) bristles. In foreign (African) species 

 the hind tibiæ may be more richly provided with bristles; the hind 

 tibiæ are in most species of a similar shape as in Dohrniphora, they 

 have dorsally two palisade-like rows of hairs, enclosing a furrow 

 with a row of hairs in the bottom, sometimes this latter row is also 

 palisade-like, so that there are three such rows, separated by two 

 furrows; as in Dohrniphora the middle tibiæ show a similar arrange- 

 ment in the basal half. From this shape of the hind tibiæ three species 

 differ; in mordellaria the hind tibiæ has on the dorsal side the hairs 

 or small bristles arranged in dense transverse combs as in Para- 

 spinipJwra Bohemanni and eri/tJironota, and also on the middle tibiæ 

 there are no paHsade-like rows of ha^rs; in citreiformis and vitripennis 

 the tibiæ are simple, without furrow or hair-rows. In all species there 

 is on the anterodorsal side of middle tibiæ in the apical half an area 

 with the hairs more or less distinctly arranged in transverse rows, 

 and such an arrangement is also present on the posterior side of 

 hind tibiæ at apex and to some degree on the posterior side of the hind 

 metatarsi. According to Schmitz, the species ocellata (non-Danish) 

 as regards the hind tibiæ shows a transition to mordellaria, as the 

 palisade-like hair rows here show a tendency to dissolve into oblique 

 combs. Claws and pulvilli normal, empodium small, bristle-shaped. 

 Wings with the costa generally not reaching beyond the middle; the 

 mediastinal vein indistinct or nearly quite wanting, in citreiformis 

 present, but not reaching the first vein, and in vitripennis quite 

 developed; costal cilia short or moderately short; third vein unforked, 

 only in agilis and irregularis a fork present, but the anterior branch 

 very thin or indistinct; the vein bears in most species fme hairs in 

 the whole length, but is sometimes bare, in mordellaria it has a short 

 row of bristles at the base; when the vein is haired it has generally 

 no stronger bristle at the base, but when bare it shows such a bri-^tle; 

 the seventh vein is often rather weak, and in foreign species it may 

 be more or less obliterated to quite disappearing. 



The larvæ of some species hve in nests of wasps and bees. Accord- 

 ing to Assmuss (Die Parasit, d. Honningbiene, Berlin 1865, 26), 

 H. incrassata deposits its eggs in the larvæ of the honey-bee; the 

 female enters the hive and seeks larvæ in still uncovered cells; it 

 deposits with the ovipositor an egg in the larva by piercing it between 



11* 



