174 [January, 



left in Meigen's genus), there are several species which have been 

 since discovered, with hairy eyes and bare aristse, which cannot be 

 placed in any of the other described genera ; some of these are more 

 highly developed than the others, having largish alulets with unequal 

 sized scales, while some are of feeble organization, with small and 

 equal sized scales. Hondani has placed the former group in his genus 

 TricJiopJilhiciis, and reserved the name of Lasiops for the latter. This 

 arrangement ought to be reversed, as Meigen's typical species (T. 

 cunctans) should be retained in his own genus ; but my friend, Herr 

 Kowarz, haviug lately published* an elaborate monograph on the 

 species in the latter division, in which he has followed Eondani, I feel 

 bound to do the same. I shall return to the restricted genus Lasiops 

 when I have finished with the more highly organized genera. 



T. cunctans, Meig. 



This species, which is not uncommon in the North of England, appears to be 

 very rare on the continent. Meigen imperfectly describes the male only, snd men- 

 tions no habitat. Schiner gives a brief but correct description, stating that he had 

 only seen a single male ; and Macquart and Rondani do not allude to it. As I have 

 found both males and females in the neighbourhood of Bradford, I will shortly 

 mention the chief peculiarities of each ; for though it is a very well-marked species, 

 it is very imperfectly known. 



The males have the eyes contiguous, and clothed with long hairs ; the thorax 

 is shining black, but in a strong light may be seen to be striped with four indistinct 

 deeper black lines, the outer of which are broken at the transverse suture. The ab- 

 domen is clothed with soft hairs, and appears of a blackish colour when viewed from 

 before backwards, but when looked at from the opposite direction, shines with 

 whitish-grey reflections, and shows a widish, tapering, black dorsal stripe, with in- 

 distinct black posterior borders to each segment. The scales are yellowish, and the 

 poisers black. The wings are slightly fuscous ; the third and fourth longitudinal 

 veins are parallel between the external transverse vein and the apex, the external 

 transverse vein itself being obliquely placed, but straight. The legs are all black 

 and clothed with soft hairs, but few spines ; the posterior tibiae are ciliated with 

 fine bristles, of moderate and even lengths, along the whole of their external 

 surfaces. 



The female has the eyes widely separated, and only slightly pubescent. The 

 thorax and abdomen are both of a dull grey colour, the former is distinctly striped 

 with four black lines, the two central ones extend from the anterior edge to the 

 centre of the bank, a little over the suture ; the lateral ones are interrupted at the 

 transverse suture, the portions in front of which assume the shape of an oral black 

 spot, while the hinder portions are prolonged in straight lines to the hinder part of 

 the thorax. The abdomen is of a flattened oval shape, pointed at the apex, and of 

 an uniform grey colour. The poisers are black, as in the males, the scales nearly 



* Die Dipterengattur.;^ Lasiops, Mg. ap. Ed., Mittheil. d. miinchener Ent. Ver., 1880, p. ]23. 



