500 Syrphidae. 



attenuated to a short, tail-shaped part, which along each side has a 

 couple of short filaments; at the end it has a short, chitinised, brown 

 posterior spiracular process (according to Becher, in my specimen it 

 was not seen, either lost or quite retracted). The pupa has a length 

 of about 15 mm, the tail-shaped part included. As will be seen my 

 description is quite agreeing with the one given by Becher. 



According to the above the larva lives evidently in decaying wood, 

 especially in poplar-trees, and no doubt it hibernates. 



The genus is, as seen, distinguished from Criorrhina by the 

 touching eyes in the male and the characteristic shape of the epistoma. 

 The species is rather rare and it is curious that it seems to have been 

 bred more often than it has been caught, though none of our Danish 

 specimens have been bred. 



Of the genus only one species occurs in the palæarctic region, 

 also occurring in Denmark, 



1. P. apiformis Schrank. 



1781. Schrank, Ennm. Ins. Austr. 459, 933 et 1803. Fn. boica, III, 117, 

 2436 (Musca). — 1862. Schin. F. A. I, 352 (Plocota). — 1901. Verr. Brit. 

 FL VIII, 587, 1. fig. 405. — 1907. Kat. palåarkt. Dipt. III, 125. — Milesia 

 apicata Meig. 1822. Syst. Beschr. III, 236, 10, Tab. XXIX, Fig. 4. — 1849. 

 Zett. Dipt. Scand. VIII, 3114, 3—4 et 1855. XII, 4653, 3—4 (Criorrhina). 



Male. Vertex black, frons black, shining, with a longitudinal 



furrovv; it is vvhitish pruinose just at the eye-margins and at each side 



of the antennæ; epistoma whitish or silvery pruinose but with a broad, 



shining black middle stripe and the lower 



side parts black; the vertex has long, 



black hairs, frons bare and epistoma with 



only a row of somewhat long, black 



hairs at the eye-margins, not reaching up 



to the antennæ ; the epistoma is strongly 



hoUowed below the antennæ, there is no 



central knob but the front mouth edge 



is considerably produced, more than the 



frontal prominence, but the epistoma is 



slightly descending; the incurvature of 



^. .^, „ . .^ .. the front mouth edge is large and the 



F\g. \ 1 1. Head of Rapt fornits (S. j- t- x, j • r\ • + 



lateral angles distinctly droopmg. Ucciput 



blackish, the hairs black, long below and upwards to above the middle ; 



on the hind side of the upper half the hairs are paler. Antennæ 



reddish or reddish brown, arista darker outwards. Thorax black, 



somewhat shining; it is clothed with long, dense pile which is red or 



