226 [October, 



NOTE UPON MASICERA VIRILIS, Rdi. 

 BY C J. WAlNWltlGHT, F.E.S. 



In the Ent. Mo. Mag. for May, 1902, pp. 108—9, is a double 

 reference to this species. In the first place, Mr. C W. Dale enquires 

 why it was omitted from Mr. G. H. Verrall's recent list of British 

 Diptera ■ and in the second place, Mr. Verrall replies that he omitted 

 it because he had no idea what species Meade intended by the name. 

 It will perhaps be instructive if I record what I know with regard 

 to it, as everything which assists in clearing up the tangle existing in 

 the nomenclature, &c, of the Tachinidce is a gain, and, moreover, it 

 will perhaps serve as a warning of the necessity for the extremest 

 caution iu dealing with records of species in this family wherever 

 they may occur. 



In 1898 I found in the New Forest, occurring in considerable 

 numbers with Aporomyia dubia, Fin., and Bothria vcesifrons, Mcq., a 

 species which I could make nothing of. As I utterly failed to run it 

 down to anything 1 then knew, 1 sent a series on to Dr. Meade, with 

 other Tachinidce, for his opinion. He returned them to me as De- 

 geeria ornata, Meig., retaining a pair for himself. I saw at once that 

 they were not ornata, Meig., and, moreover, that he had added to the 

 series under the same name three specimens of a distinct species 

 which 1 had also sent him, which is a true Degceria, and might have 

 been ornata. I therefore wrote to him at once pointing out that he 

 had mixed up two species, and that though the three specimens might 

 be D. ornata, Mg., the remainder certainly could not be, and I sug- 

 gested that perhaps if they belonged to the genus Degceria -they might 

 be what he called in his Synopsis Degeeria muscaria, Fin. He replied 

 that he had re-examined the specimens he had retained, and that I 

 was quite right, they were muscaria. 



At this time I did not possess Brauer and von Bergenstamm's 

 work, and other necessary books, so that I could test the matter no 

 further, and they went into my collection as muscaria, and many were 

 distributed under that name. In 1899 I found it equally abundant 

 at West Hide, in Herefordshire, and have no doubt that it is a com- 

 mon British species. 



Recently, Dr. J. H. Wood, of Tarrington, near Hereford, sent 

 me some specimens from his district, including some which he called 

 Masicera virilis, Rdi., and lohich he said had been so named for him hi/ 

 Dr. Meade. 1 immediately recognised my old friend the so-called D. 



