Xylota. 507 



are only °/6— ^Ve. It is recorded to frequent flowers of Grataegus, 

 Berberis etc. ; I have taken it sitting on a tree-stem and one of 

 Mr. Schlick's specimens was taken sitting on tiie stub of an oak. 



Geographical distribution : — The species is recorded to occur in 

 Europe down into Italy, towards the north to niiddle Sweden, but 

 little can be known with certainty by the present identification of the 

 species of Brachypalpus. 



Remarks: In determining this species as laphrifonnis Fall. I con- 

 fess that I have partly taken the northern occurrence of the species 

 into consideration, laphrifonnis being the only species occurring in 

 northern Europe, and at the same time I find nothing to prevent the 

 determination; it is true that Fallen says "abdomen ovatum", but 

 otherwise his description is agreeing, and likev^^ise Zetterstedt's descrip- 

 tion; the latter author says "sat crassa" but this is in comparison 

 with the Xylota-sT^ec'ies as he has the species in this genus ; further I 

 have seen specimens of Zetterstedt's X. valga from his collection and 

 they are identical with my species, and this, I think, proves the correct- 

 ness of my determination. It is at present impossible to determine 

 the European species of Brachypalpus after the descriptions; for a sure 

 distinction it would be necessary to know the various species. — The 

 species are somewhat varying in colour and I should think that some 

 of them are identical; thus I find it not improbable that B. angustus 

 Egg. is identical with laphrifonnis as suggested by Gerståcker (1. c.) 

 and consequently also with bimaculatus Macq. ; in faet I find Verrall's 

 description of this species agreeing well with my laphriformis. 



40. Xylota Meig. 



Species of medium to rather large size and of a narrow, elongated 

 shape, slightly haired ; the colours may be quite black, but abdomen 

 has often the middle part reddish, or there are pairs of yellow or 

 glaucous spots; sometimes the end of abdomen is golden from dense 

 hairs of this colour. Head somewhat semiglobular but rather low, 

 considerably broader than high and broader than thorax; it is flat 

 behind, a little excavated upwards. Eyes bare, touching in the male, 

 separated in the female; in the male the facets are distinctly enlarged 

 on the front part. Vertex more or less elongated. Frons somewhat 

 prominent, nearly bare only with slight hairs at the eye-margins. An- 

 tennæ inserted in or a little below the middle; they are short, third 

 joint short oval, sometimes not longer than high; the arista is relatively 

 long; the basal joints of tlie antennæ have short hairs and the second 

 has bristles at the apical margin above and below; third joint and 



