180 STRATIOMYID.E 



immaturity of the specimens, or else there would be no doubt about its 

 absolute specific distinctness. 



5. miniimis must remain at present a very unsatisfactory species, but 

 it is a coincidence which may have a meaning, that I caught one of each 

 sex on almost the same day at Dolgelly, and many years afterwards saw 

 one female from a dififerent locality, while Zetterstedt apparently caught 

 one of each sex in the same locality in his early days, and saw one female 

 afterwards from a different locahty ; the fact of our each catching a pair 

 to begin with tends to indicate that it is a good species which may be very 

 rare or very local. 



Synonymy. — .S'. minimus wa.s described very insiifficientlj' by Zetterstedt from 

 (probably) only three specimens (1 (^ 2 $ ), but I am obliged to refer ray specimens 

 to it as they agree in so many peculiarities, of which the small size is a striking one. 

 It appears to be doubtful whether any two of the described specimens have the legs 

 quite similarly colored, but they all agree in having the legs of the male much paler 

 than in any allied species except S.flavipe? and S. rufipes, and on the other hand the 

 legs of the female are much darker than in either of those species. On the whole I 

 am disposed to consider it a good species. 



6. S. nitidus Meigen. Small species. Legs black, with only the 

 knees orange. "Wings not at all clouded about the middle. Pubescence 

 on the middle of the disc of the thorax all black in the male. No out- 

 standing postocular ciliation. 



A very unsatisfactory species, resembling, but quite distinct 

 from, a small S. iridatus. 



(J, Frons three to four times as wide at the antennae as at its narrowest part, 

 with a broad middle part bare and polished almost down to the unusually 

 small white spots : vertex not much wider than the narrowest part of the 

 frons, and all black haired except for a suspicion of pale hairs just against 

 the occiput ; ocelli rather high up, and the front one not much remote from 

 the other two ; lower part of the frons bulging ; pubescence on the frons 

 sloped as in .S'. iridatus, and on the face all black ; pubescence hehiwJ the eyes 

 long and grejdsh Avhite on only the lower eighth, and on the rest with only a 

 short (very short on upper part) stubby black postocular ciliation almost as in 

 S.jlavipes, but entirely vnthoui the outstaiuUng ivhitish ciliation of S. iridatus. 

 Eye-facets inappreciably differing in size. Arista but little longer that the 

 antennae. 



Thorax and scutellum brilliant green, rather densely punctate, clothed all 

 do-\\Ti the middle of the disc (except on the bare front part) with entirely 

 black (in some lights brownish-black) pubescence of two different lengths, 

 the long hairs being rather sparse and three or four times as long as the dense 

 short pubescence, but the sides for about a quarter of the disc on each side 

 bear brownish-yellow rather long pubescence for the whole length which is 

 best seen when viewed from in front ; pleuree with the usual large bare 

 polished space but otherAvise with rather drooping brownish-yellow pubescence, 

 and with the usual more erect pale hairs near the humeri, Scutellum with 

 all black pubescence ; metanotum Avith broAA-nish-yelloAA' pubescence on its 

 loAver part. 



Abdomen brilliant green, but roughened and rather dulled doAvn the 

 broad middle of the disc from the coarse dense punctuation ; pubescence on 

 the sides long and pale to the end of the third segment, but black, short, 

 stubby, and dense on all the disc though longer and more conspicuous than 

 usual and more erect on especially the sides of the disc Avell aAvay from the 

 middle, AA'hile a few pale hairs shoAV on the basal comers of the fourtli 

 segment ; sixth segment purplish and not much shining, curved under along 



