Metopina. 435 



not protruding. (I have not been able to stiidy the hypopygium more 

 closely). In the male a chitinized ventral plate is present at the end 

 (according to Schmitz, I have not been able to stiidy it on my material). 

 In the female there is at the base of the fifth tergite a ciirious, semi- 

 circnlar, chitinized plate or flap which covers an opening and is able 

 to open upwards; this feature is probably in connection with a gland; 

 abdomen ends as usual with a pair of small lamellæ. The abdomen is 

 very sparingly haired. Legs with hind femora not or slightly dilated; 

 the legs have no single bristles and the hind tibiæ are simple, without 

 any dorsal hair-seam; just at apex on the posterior side the hairs a 

 little arranged in transverse rows and especially so on posterior side 

 of hind metatarsi; the posterior tibiæ have small apical spurs. Claws 

 small, strongly curved; pulvilli narrow, with emergences below quite 

 as in WandoUeckia and Piiliciphora (see Wandolleck, Zool. Jahrb. 

 Syst. XI, 1898, Taf. XXVI, Fig. 10); the empodium I could not 

 detect, but it is no doubt bristle-shaped; Becker says that pulvilli 

 and empodium are wanting which thus is not correct. Wings with 

 costa to or beyond the middle, in one species {crassinervis Schmitz, 

 non Danish) it is thickened; the costal cilia very fme and short; third 

 vein without fork, but with a curious, microscopical fissure at the 

 apex, no doubt the remnant of a fork; the sixth vein with a curious, 

 rather sudden curve about the middle. There seems to be no bristles 

 on the alular margin. 



The developmental stages are not described, but the larva of the 

 American species pachycondylae (if this really belongs to the genus, 

 see Schmitz, Wien. Ent. Zeitg. XXXV, 1916, 232) is known; it lives 

 in the nest of the ant Pachycondyla harpar, and is here curled about 

 the fore-part of the host ant-larva thus partaking in the food given 

 to this by the workers (Wheeler, Amer. Nat. XXXV, 1901, 1007, 

 fig.). il/, galeata {heselhausi Schmitz) was once met with in the nest 

 of a hamster so that perhaps its larva lives in such piaces. 



The genus Metopina stands somewhat apart among the European 

 genera and shows, as already stated by Becker, relation to several 

 non-European, more aberrant genera (Piiliciphora and others). The 

 curious opening on the fifth abdominal tergite in the female it thus 

 has in common with these forms, likewise the shape of the head, the 

 smaller eyes, the arrangement of the frontal bristles, and also the 

 reduced pulvilli and empodium. The genus includes in all four species, 

 two of which are American (the one, pachycondylae, perhaps not a 

 Metopina); of the two European species one occurs in Denmark. 



28* 



