306 A. L. MELANDER. 



rows. All the intervittal spaces provided with sparse minute bris- 

 tles arranged longitudinally. The row in front of the halteres con- 

 sists most generally of three bristles. Scutellum with two bristles. 

 The abdomen is slightly shining through the sparse coating. The 

 hind femora possess a single short spine-like bristle at the beginning 

 of the outer third of the lower surface; front metatarsi as thick as 

 the outer part of the tibia, and nearly as long as the three following 

 joints. Halteres pale yellow. Stigma wanting, the third vein 

 acutely branched at the tip of the marginal cell, its anterior branch 

 scarcely two thirds the length of the posterior branch, which ends 

 at the extreme wing tip; the proximal section of the vein bounding 

 the discal cell anteriorly scarcely one third the length of the second 

 section. 



The female differs from the male in that the eyes are separated a 

 little more widely, the posterior trochanters lack the pencil and are 

 not explanate, the hairs of the legs are all short and evidently bris- 

 tle-like, and the front metatarsi are slender. 



Einpis compta Coquillett. 

 Proc. Nat. Mus., 1895, p. 405. 



Female. — ^Head black, gray pollinose; two basal joints of antennae brown, the 

 third black, narrow, elongate, style one-sixth as long as the third joint; probos- 

 cis over twice as long as the height of the head, palpi brown. Thorax and pleura 

 black, opaque gray pollinose, thorax marked with four blackish brown vittse ; 

 pile in front of halteres black ; scutellum blackish, its apex brown, bearing four 

 bristles. Abdomen on base of segments yellowish brown, on apex broadly yel- 

 low, seventh and eighth segments and the two anal lamellae wholly brown ; pile 

 of abdomen sparse, yellowish, no fringe of long black bristles on the hind mar- 

 gin of any of the segments. Legs slender, destitute of a fringe of scales, yellow, 

 including the coxae ; tarsi toward the apex brown ; metatarsi of nearly an equal 

 thickness, the hind ones slightly longer than the others. Knob of halteres light 

 yellow. Wings hyaline, stigma wanting, veins light brown, no stout bristle on 

 costa near its base (first marginal cell closed in one wing, broadly open in the 

 other). 3.5 mm. 



Illinois (Robertson). 



Male. — Beyond the fifth abdominal segment the abdomen is suddenly bent 

 downward, the seventh dorsal segment convex, small ; hypopygium moderately 

 large, hanging downward, almost cylindrical, tubular, the lamellae porrect, mod- 

 erately prominent, yellowish, the central filament reddish, hidden within the 

 tube. Legs slender, unarmed, the hind femora beneath and the tibiae outwardly 

 with a few slender, black longer hairs. Wings slender, rather pointed, the first 

 submarginal cell open, the anterior branch of the third vein bent, extending 

 acutely. 



Opelousas, Louisiana, March. 



