1912.] 137 



the thorax almost entirely shining black. In some the scutellum and 

 metanotum were red, in others black. The chitinised parts of the 

 abdomen are usually black, sometimes ( ,^ ) brownish-black ; in one or 

 two specimens the tergites were black with a reddish-central longitu- 

 dinal line. The non-chitinised parts of the abdomen are a bright red 

 in life, and this makes the female at least a very conspicuous little fly. 

 The black bands of the dorsal and ventral surfaces are connected by 

 patches of small flat black scales on the lateral integument. 



Kieffer (Suite a la Synopse, p. 12, 1902J, places this species in 

 Mayetiola ; both Mayetiola and Oligotrophus are said by him to possess 

 trifid empodia, but in ventricolus, as far as I can see, the empodia are 

 simple and pulvilliform. Hence if the tarsal characters of Ceci- 

 domyiidfe are to be accepted as of generic value, this species is 

 apparently not correctly placed, though it is quite beyond my power 

 to say in which of Kieffer's genera it should be included. 



2. Lestodiplosis tenuis^, Lw., Dipt. Beit. IV, p. 33 (1850) 



A female specimen, possessing the characters of Lestodiplods and 

 answering fairly well to Loew's description of L. tenuis is in the 

 British Museum collection, bearing the label " Felden, Herts., 11. iii. 

 93., A. Piffard." The species of Lestodiplosis are somewhat remark- 

 able from having spotted wings, and some of them have also banded 

 legs. L. tetmiis differs from the other banded-legged species in having 

 the hind tarsi entirely dark, while there are two whitish rings on the 

 hind tibiae, and the femora are whitish except at the tip. In our 

 specimen the pale rings on the hind tibise are situated at the base and 

 on the base of the apical half (Loew does not give their position) ; 

 the fore and mid tibiae are whitish beneath (not mentioned by Loew) ; 

 and the upper side of the basal half of the hind femora is dark, as well 

 as the tip. In spite of these points I think the identification is correct ; 

 I can find no other description which fits the Felden specimen. L. temiis 

 does not seem to have been noticed since its description. 



British Museum (Natural History) : 

 May 6th, 1912. 



Stylops melittse, Kirby, at Woking, cfc. — It is perhaps woi'th while to record 

 the appearance of further examples of this species at Woking, after an interval 

 of several years. On April 21st and 24th, five males were taken on the wing, 

 and others seen, by my sons, on a sandy part of our heath frequented by various 

 bees. It is such a restless insect that a butterfly net is required for its capture. 

 Mr. Hamm has also taken several specimens on the wing on April 17th — May 1st, 



L 



