Q I January, 



ON THE BRITISH SPECIES OF HYDROTMA, Dsv. 

 BY PEECY H. GRIMSHAW, F.E.S. 

 (^Continued from Vol. XLI, p. 245). 



8. — II. ARMIPES, Fin. Male : Eyes bare, contigTioun, arista slightly and 

 gradually thickened at base, practically bare. Thorax hluiah-hlacJc, shining, but 

 not highly polished, shoulders dusted with greyish. Abdomen covered with a 

 usually dense yellowish-grey or bluish-grey tomentum, base of 1st segment and a 

 tapering dorsal stripe black. Front femora on the ventral surface near the base 

 with about a dozen very peculiar and characteristic bristles, which are stout, with 

 an enlarged and truncated apex, and arranged roughly in two rows, the two nearest 

 base much the longest and stoutest. Middle femora on basal half of ventral sur- 

 face with about four bristles similar to the last. Hind femora on ventral surface 

 with a single median strong spine, with an enlarged and truncated apex like those 

 on the other femora ; hind tibias with an antero-rentral row of about eight eX' 

 tremely long and fine hairs, which are regularly disposed, and occupj'the apical half, I 

 ventral surface with a row of very short fine hairs in apical two-thirds, and an 

 ante-median tuft of about a dozen very long and fine bristles. Wings hyaline or ' 

 slightly tinged with yellowish-brown, calyptra slightly tinged with yellow, halteres 

 black. Size, 5 — 6 ram. 



Female : Frons blacJc, ocellar triangle cinereous, slightly shining, but not 

 polished. Thorax cinereous, vei^y slightly shining, in front with a trace of two 

 blackish lines. Abdomen uniformly cinereous and slightly shining. Front femora 

 with a complete row of seven to nine postero-ventral bristles. Middle femora with 

 a row of five to six ventral bristles near base ; tibias with two posterior bristles at 

 about one-fourth and one-half from apex respectively. Hind femora as in ^ , 

 except that the ventral spine is absent ; tibias with two dorsal bristles, one sub-apical 

 and the other about the middle, bXso one antero-ventral uxeAva-n bristle a little longer 

 than the latter, and slightly nearer the apex. Wings more hyaline thaii in J , 

 calyptra hardly tinged with yellowish. 



Appears to be common and widely distributed. I have seen 

 specimens from many parts of the country, from Eastbourne to the If 

 Forth district, and Mr. Verrall records it as far north as Inverness, i' 

 The dates range from May 6th to October 27th. I received four 

 females from Mr. Verrall, two of which were sent as meteorica^ L., 

 and one as alhipuncta^ Ztt. After comparing these with a female j 

 taken in cop. by Dr. J. H. Wood I found that they belonged to the 11 

 present species, and my opinion was confirmed by the use of Stein's 

 paper. From alhipuncta, Ztt., the female may be distinguished by its 

 dark halteres, and from meteorica, L., by the characters given in 

 the key. 



9. — H. ALBIPUNCTA, Ztt. {fasciculata, Meade). Male : Eyes bare, contiguous j 

 arista slightly thickened at base, only slightly pubescent or almost bare. Thorax 

 shining black, shoulders iohitish-cinereous. Abdomen bluish-cinereous toith a distinct 



