278 



[December, 



A PEESIAN ASILID ATTACKING HOUSE-FLIES. 

 BY GEETKUDE KICAEDO. 



Philonicus domesticiis, S $ > "• sp- 



Mr. P. A. Buxton has sent me for identification a few Asiliclae from 

 N. Persia and Mesopotamia, amongst them a species of Philoiu'ciis 

 closely allied to the common European P. alhiceps Mg., stating that it 

 hmits for house-ilies {Musca domestica sens, lat.), entering houses for this 

 purpose at Enzeli in the early summer, flying near the windows, hut it 

 was not in sufficient numbers to be an effective control. 



The male and female resemble the European P. alhiceps, but differ 

 from it in having a more pronounced kink in the lower branch of the 

 third vein, and the two bristles on the scutellum, instead of being black, 

 are white in both sexes ; the bristles on the thorax are also entirely black. 

 Genitalia very similar, but many black hairs are intermixed with the 

 yellow ones. Ovipositor \vith four stout short black spines. Antennae 

 with a somewhat shorter third joint and a longer arista. Length, 

 6 131, $ 17 mm. 



The types ( J $ ) were captured at Enzeli, N. Persia, 17 and 

 19. vi. 1919, by Mr. Buxton, who has kindly presented them to the 

 National Collection. 



November, 1920. 



A note on LydeUa nigrijies My. — An unfortunate mistake has crept into 

 Mr. Herbert Bury 'a paper upon " Diptera iu South Sliropsbire, 1913-1920," 

 published iu the November number of this Magazine. An extract from a 

 letter of mine which is quoted on p. 254 has become attached to LydeUa 

 iiiyripes Mg., whilst the species to which my remarks applied was L. ferruyinea 

 M"". L. nigrijoes ( — Dexodes macliaeropds 13. aud B.), au insect with many 

 synonyms, is one of our commonest species. 1 have a long series and have had 

 many others to examine, and I think it is probably common everywhere in 

 wooded districts, at least throughout the Southern and Midland purtions of the 

 country. I have no certain knowledge of its occurrence North of Wales, 

 Herefordshire, and Norfolk, but that is probably merely due to lack of obt^ei- 

 vation. L. ferruyinea Mg., the species to which my note referred, is very little 

 known, and 1 owe the identification of my specimens to Dr. Villeneuve, who 

 has seen Meigeu's type aud tells me that mine agree with it. It must not be 

 confounded with Erycia fatua Mg. {=ferniyinea B. aud B.), with which, how- 

 ever, it appears to have been confused even by the distinguished authors of the 

 "Katalog der Pal. Dipt." I hope to deal with the distinctions of the specit-s 

 in a paper to be published at some later date.— Colbhan J. Wainwkight, 

 Da} lesford, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham : November llt/i, 1920. 



