1910. 45 



AGATH0M7IA ELEGANTULA, Fall.— A CORRECTION, AND 

 AGATHOMYIA ZETTEBSTEDTI, Zett., A SPECIES NEW TO BRITAIN. 



BY JOHN H. WOOD, M.B. 



Agathomyia elegantula, Fall. — At p. 5, vol. xvi (new series) of this 

 Magazine I introduced this insect erroneously under the name of 

 Callimyia elegantula, and as a species new to our fauna. The error 

 might long have gone undetected, had I not subsequently met with a 

 small and very distinct-looking species, which on being submitted to 

 Mr. Verrall was unhesitatingly pronomiced to be the true Agathomyia 

 elegantula. The insect which had for a time usurped its place is on 

 the contrary a Callimyia with all the singular and characteristic beauty 

 of the females of that genus ; and it is a matter of regret that it must 

 for the present go without a name, in spite of its striking beauty which 

 is quite distinct in its details from that of our two well-known species. 



A pair only of A. elegantula have been obtained. Both were 

 swept from under old spruce trees in Stoke Wood, the male 19/9/08, 

 and the female as far back as 14/10/05. The remarkable feature about 

 the insect is the bright colovu'ing of the abdomen of the male, which 

 in tint and almost in ext-ent rivals that of the female, and at once dis- 

 tinguishes it from the male of any of our other species. In the female 

 the three basal segments are a l^right orange with indications of a 

 narrow dusky line down the middle ; in the male only the 2nd and 3rd 

 segments are of this bright colour, the narrow basal segment being 

 black, whilst the dorsal line consists of a broad black band on the 3rd 

 segment, continued of a dusky red about half-way into the 2nd where 

 it ends abruptly. The female bears some resemblance to horeella, Zett., 

 and might possibly be passed over for a variety of that species with 

 the light parts on the abdomen brighter and more extensive than 

 usual, were it not for the differently coloured thorax. In horeella the 

 thorax is luiiformly black, as is the rule in the genus, but in elegantula 

 it is somewhat parti- coloured, muddy-grey in front and ochreous-grey 

 behind and on the scutellum. 



A. zetterstedti (Walilb. in lit.), Zett.— This is another new British- 

 species which I have had the good fortune to find recently in Hereford- 

 shire, and for the name of which I am again indebted to Mr. Verrall. 

 Five examples were taken in 1907, between September 25th and October 

 13th — one male and three females vmder some big trees (since un- 

 fortimately cut down) in Ashperton Park, and one female in my own 

 garden. This year again, two females were met with at the end of 



