204 Phoridae. 



in comb-like transverse rows on a smaller or larger, but generally 

 rather small area, and they are also similarly arranged on the posterior 

 side of hind metatarsus. From the common clothing with short hairs 

 the hairs below the hind femora still must be excepted; while the post- 

 erior side of hind femora is for the greater part nude there is below 

 a ventral row of hairs, from the base to about the middle or somewhat 

 beyond; these hairs may be rather short and little marked against 

 the common clothing, but often they are longer to rather long and 

 also more or less strong, and when such developed they are rather 

 sparse. Hairs of the mentioned kind, whether shorter or longer, are 

 equally developed in both sexes or, at all events, only slightly less 

 pronounced in the female, but sometimes these hairs are more spec- 

 ially developed, as a short, very dense fringe, or as a dense fringe of 

 longer and stronger, more bristly, often curved hairs which may be 

 denser or specially developed at the base, or on the contrary at the 

 middle, and sometimes specially developed hairs are present only 

 at the base. When the femora are armed in this way, these hairs or 

 bristles are present only in the male, and the female then has only 

 short hairs. The hairs below the hind femora no doubt give important 

 specific characters, but when they are simply more or less elongated 

 they are often difficult to see, as they may frequently be adpressed 

 towards the lower side of the femora. Besides the mentioned hairs 

 the lowermost of the hairs clothing the anterior side are in the apical 

 part longer and stronger, so that a short anteroventral row of 

 stronger hairs is present here; these latter hairs may also be of various 

 development in the various species. Claws and pulvilli normal, gener- 

 ally small; empodium small and bristle-shaped. Wings with the costa 

 much varying in length, from about 0,30 of the wing-length to well 

 beyond the middle and sometimes still longer; the mediastinal vein 

 ending in the subcostal vein, sometimes somewhat indistinctly, the 

 vein appearing a little abbreviated; the costal cilia varying from 

 very short to rather long; third vein forked; fourth to seventh veins 

 present and reaching the margin. In some cases one of the wing-veins 

 may be specially developed, more or less broadened; in a single case 

 {humeralis) it is the third which is considerably broad in the male, 

 but only slightly strong in the female; in another group of species 

 it is costa which is more or less thickened in the female, sometimes 

 much thickened and then also a little thickened in the male, at other 

 times less thickened and then simple in the male. 



The developmental stages of this large genus so rich in species 



