Masicera. 289 



puffed out below, mucli higiier than long. Frons broad and about 

 equal in both sexes, only slightly protriiding. Jowls one fourth of 

 the breadth of the eye. In both sexes ocellar and inner and outer 

 vertical bristles, and in male one or two, in female two orbital bristles. 

 Somewhat strong postocellar and smaller occipital bristles. Beliind 

 postocular bristles a row of black hairs. Frontal bristles descending well 

 to insertion of arista, three uppermost reclinate. Cheeks bare. Vibrissæ 

 ascending to about one tliird of tlie height, Eyes bare. Epistoma 

 very slightly retreating and almost not reflected below. Proboscis 

 short. Antennæ inserted above middle of the eye, tliird joint four 

 times as long as second. Thorax nearly quadratic; four postsutural 

 dorsocentrals and three præ- and postsutural acrosticlials ; a præ- 

 sutural intraalar bristle. Scutellum with four marginal bristles on 

 eacli side, the apical crossing. In male three or four, in female four 

 sternopleural bristles. Pteropleura above with a bristle in a bunch 

 of hairs. Abdomen with excavation on second segment reaching hind 

 margin; only marginal bristles, on second segment a pair. Legs robust, 

 with strong bristles; anterodorsal bristles on hind tibiæ quite unequal; 

 claws and pulvilli elongated in male. Wings with first posterior cell 

 closed at margin, ending somewhat before apex of wing; discai angle 

 a little obtuse; costal spine small. 



The species are parasitic on Rhopalocera and Heterocera; silvatica 

 belongs, according to Pantel, to his group 2. The pupa may be found 

 hibernating in the host larva, or outside it in the ground. 



Of the genus a couple of European species are recorded, but 

 the catalogue besides enumerates a large number of uninterpreted 

 species, especially from Macquart. One species occurs in Denmark. 



1. M. silvatica Fall. 



1810. Fall. Vet. Acad. Handl. XXXI, 274 et 1820. Dipt. Suec. Muse. 

 12, 30 {Tachma). — 1824. Meig. Syst. Beschr. IV, 380, 243 (Tachina) et 1838. 

 VII, 241, 17, Tab. LXXI, Fig. 6— 11. — 1844. Zett. Dipt. Scand. III, 1033, 

 23 {Tachina). — 1862. Schin. F. A. I, 483. — 1889. B. B. Denkschr. Akad. 

 Wiss. Wien, LVI, 87, Tab. I, Fig. 4 et 1891. LVIII, 316. — 1896. Pand. Rev. 

 Entom. XV, 62, 20 (Tachina). — 1900. Stein, Ent. Nachricht. XXVI, 149. — 

 1907. Kat. palåarkt. Dipt. III, 281. — 1921. Baer, Zeitschr. f. angew. Ent. 

 VII, 153. — 1924. Stein, Arch. f. Naturgesch. 90, 6, 92, 2. 



Of this species I know only the female. The male shows, according 

 to Stein, two orbital bristles. Female. Frons broader than the eye. 

 Orbits and face white pruinose, the former blackish above; frontal 



19 



