OfiQ. [Deeeniber, 



I), cincta Curtis, but the description of this is too inadequate for recog- 

 nition. Goetghebuer, following Loew, lays stress on the length of the 

 petiole of the lower fork-cell (m^) as a distinguishing feature of this 

 species, but I cannot attach any importance to this character, as it is 

 very variable in some species of Dixa, such as I), autumnal is. On the 

 whole, details of coloration seem to be more constant in this genus than 

 small differences of venation, though some species, such as D. obscnra 

 Lw. (which the British Museum possesses from Italy and Palestine), 

 have a very distinctive venation. At present all tlie examples I have 

 seen of D. laeta are from the sea-coast, but this must be accidental, 

 since Goetghebuer records it from Genval (Brabant). The localities 

 are: Llandwrog, Carnarvon {F. W. E.); South Pool and Torcror^s, 

 S. Devon; and Sheviock, Cornwall {Yerhury). 



D. amphihia L>e G.— This was recorded by A'errall as B. niyra 

 ]Mg., but it is usually^ known under De Geer's name on the Continent, 

 ;ind is figured as D- amphihia by Goetghebuer ; 1 see no i-eason to reject 

 the identification. Walker's D. fuliginosa is probably another synonym. 

 Apart from the distinctive structure of the hypopygium, the species may 

 be known b}' its general black colour, also by tlie fact that the head and 

 thorax are more shining than in the other species. I have taken one 

 specimen, on Wood Walton Fen, and there are two males from Nethv 

 Britlge (Lamh) in the Cambridge Museum ; so that as far as present 

 experience goes it would seem to be the rarest of our ten si)ecies. 



D. j'j«<&en</a Lw. — This is wrongly quoted by Kertesz and 

 Goetghebuer, following Bergroth, as a synonym of D. maculata. It is 

 thoroughly well distinguished by the characters given in the key, most 

 of which were already noted by Loew. As in the next species, the 

 scutellum is entirely yellowish. It may possibly have been recorded as 

 British by Curtis as D. moesta, but the significance of this name is too 

 doubtful for it to be adopted in place of the well-distinguished -D. j^z^- 

 herula. I have taken it in numbers at Dartmouth, and at Snailbeach 

 and Church Stretton, Salop ; additional examples are in the British 

 Musevun from Sheviock, Cornwall {Yerhurij). 



D. dilatata Strobl. — This is now distinguished for the first time as 

 a species ; it was briefly, but just sufficiently, characterised by Strobl as a 

 variety of D. maculata. A study of the hypopygium shows that it is 

 perfectly distinct ; the whole organ is very small, the side pieces short 

 and stumpy, almost conical ; the claspers also short, but as long as the 

 side pieces and rather bluntly pointed ; there are also many good cha- 

 racters in the complicated basal (anal and genital) pai'ts. As in 

 D. puheruJa and D. suhniaculata, the ninth tergite is quite simple. 

 A useful distinction, apart from those given in the key, is to be found 



