128 t^*^^^' 



M. ATROPIYORA, DsV. 



Head short and wide, with forehead and face flat ; frontal stripe brown ; sides 

 of frontalia witli face white, with blue-black reflections ; antennae black, with third 

 joint about three times the length of the second ; palpi black ; arista thickened for 

 two-thirds of its length ; facialia almost bare ; thorax black, with much white 

 pubescence on sides and front margin, marked with four broad stripes, and having 

 four outer dorso-central bristles behind the groove ; scutellura testaceous, with base 

 dark ; abdomen whitish-grey, with the hinder edges of the segments and a dorsal 

 band black ; the sides are rufous in the male ; no discal setse ; wings with fourth 

 longitudinal vein bent at a right angle, the rest of the apical cross vein straight, 

 outer cross vein straight ; legs with hind tibise ciliated with short and strong setae 

 of even lengths. This well marked species is parasitic upon Sphinx Atropos, a large 

 number of flies often emerging from a single caterpillar. In 1879, I received several 

 specimens from Mr. Bignell which he had bred ; I hoped at the time that the larva 

 had been found in England, but Mr. Bignell told me afterwards that he received 

 them from the Mediterranean. The species is common in Italy and the south of 

 France. 



M. STLYATICA, Fin. 



Black, with grey pubescence ; eyes wide apart ; fronto-orbital bristles in a 

 double row (posteriorly) in both sexes ; frontal stripe brown, about equal in width 

 to the sides of frontalia ; antennae with the third joint four times as long as the 

 second in the male, but rather shorter in the female ; arista thickened for about 

 four-fifths of its length ; palpi black with red ends, and a little clavate ; facialia 

 almost bare ; thorax marked in front with four black stripes, which soon become 

 confluent ; outer dorso-central bristles three in number behind the groove ; scutellum 

 testaceous at the end ; abdomen tessellated with black and white ; middle segments 

 without discal setae ; fourth segment very spinose, and having the apex clubbed or 

 thickened in the male ; wings with from four to six bristles at the base of the third 

 vein ; apical cross vein nearly straight ; legs black, with the hind tibiae unevenly 

 ciliated. This large fine species, the males of which resemble those of Sarcophaga 

 carnaria in shape, is not common ; it has been bred by Mr. Billups from Saturnia 

 earpini and Pieris brassicce. 



M. PRATENSIS, Mgn. 



This species closely resembles the former in colour and design, but is smaller ; 

 it has the antennae with the second joint rather longer, but the third shorter than in 

 M. sylvatica, the latter being scarcely three times as long as the former ; the arista 

 is not thickened for quite half its length, and is a little pubescent ; the frontal stripe 

 is rather wider than the sides of the frontalia ; the wings have only one or two 

 small setae at the base of the third vein, and the apical cross vein is a little more 

 curved than in M. sylvatica ; in all other points they are very similar. Eare. 



M. MTOiD^A, Dsv. and Mcq. 

 senilis, End. et Mgn. ? 

 Female black, covered with hoary pubescence ; facial angle oblique ; eyes 

 widely separated ; frontal stripe piceous, rather wider than sides of frontalia ; an- 



