142 STRATIOMYID^ 



9 . Rather .similar to the male. Froiis at the vertex nearly one-third the width of 

 the head (hg. 130) and the space between the eyes gradually widening down to 

 the mouth, Avhere it is about two-fifths the width of the head ; frons shining- 

 black with orange markings which in their simplest form are composed oi 

 three pairs of orange spots, but frequently the second and third jmirs of spots 

 more or less coalesce ; the upper pair of orange spots placed at the top corners 

 of the eyes are always present, and then a pair of long spots at the sides of the 

 furrow which runs down the middle of the frons, and lastly a pair of larger 

 transverse spots a little before the antennse which are only narrowly separated, 

 the middle pair of spots almost reach the upturned inner ends of the third 

 l^air, and the third jjair extend only about half-way to the eyes ; but fre- 

 quently the second and third pairs of spots are much larger and connect by a 

 broad neck, thereby leaving an equal narrow black bordered furrow extending 

 from the front ocellus all down the frons ; face shining black but an obscure 

 yellow spot on each side runs across it from the eye to the mouth, and about 

 half-Avay down the face the margins against the eyes begin narrowly dull pale 

 yellow, and expand into a conspicuous fairly broad dull pale yellow collar 

 right round the eyes up to the shining orange spots on the vertex ; this 

 collar is slightly widest near the lower hind corner of the eye until about one- 

 third np the back of the head ; all the inouth l)orders are broadly yellow 

 except at the front point and are almost connected with the broad yellow 

 collar under the eyes ; pubescence on the frons erect and blackish from the 

 upper ocelli to the third i)air of orange spots, but there is a pale yellow jmtch 

 on each side about the middle of the frons ; the third pair of orange spots are 

 bare, and outside each of them against the eyemargin is a bare shining black 

 space, and just below them is another pale yellow patch in a line with the 

 antennje, followed by another smaller shining black bare space against each eye, 

 but otherwise all the face and jowls bear long drooping pale yellow pubescence, 

 unless (as frequently happens) it is rubbed off down the middle of the 

 shining black face ; the yellow eye-collar bears no distinct pubescence but 

 has minute glistening yellow adherent scaly hairs pointing forwards ; the 

 hollowed back of the head bears some long straggling greyish pubescence ; 

 the vertical pair of orange spots extend a little down the back of the head, 

 but there is no raised rim between the vertex and the occiput. Eyes with 

 their facets all equal. Antennae (fig. 130) inclined to be more extensively 

 ferruginous than in the male. 



Thorax with shorter erect pubescence, and in addition with some very 

 short depressed golden pubescence ; postalar calli brownish orange and almost 

 connected with the basal corners of the scutellum ; pleurie with the upper 

 and front margins of the mesopleura^ broadly orange as well as usually the 

 lower part of the metapleuraj and the upper jmrt of the sternopleur^e. 

 Scutellum more ferruginous, so that there is only a large semicircular black 

 basal spot. 



Abdomen with smaller orange spots, the pair on the second segment 

 forming small triangles (missing the extreme outer hind corners because the 

 hindmargin of the segment turns up there) which do not (piite include the 

 shoulder points ■ third segment with long transverse orange red spots at the 

 hind corners (though upturned at their own actual hind corners) usually 

 occupying less than one-third the depth of the segment ; fourth segment with 

 similar but slightly larger spots ; all the spots extend barely a quarter of the 

 way across each segment unless occasionally the basal pair extend to a point 

 along the hindmargin for a third of the segment on each side ; fifth segment 

 with the orange colour more confined to the tip, though a narrow line exists 

 up the sidemargins. Pubescence shorter, depressed, and dark (almost blackish) 

 grey, rather long and more erect about the base, more obvious on all the fifth 

 segment and the hinder half of the fourth, and long and yellowish above the 

 shoulders. Belly with shorter pubescence and without any black spots. 



Legs after the coxa? and trochanters entirely orange except at the 

 end of the tarsi, though sometimes the front femora are more or less 

 darkened behind on the basal half or more ; pubescence on the femora 

 shorter. 



Wings, squamai, and halteres as in the male. 



Length about 13 mm. 



