212 STRATIOMYIDtE 



on the spines ; spines shining green, thick and long, usually six in number, 

 but the outer pair may be short or even practically absent, leaving some- 

 times five spines, or when the spines are extra strong there may be a 

 seventh spine. 



Abdomen purplish or brownish black, moderately shining, and bearing 

 inconsjiicuous not scarce short yellowish pubescence on the disc but longer 

 and more conspicuous yellow pubescence on the sides ; belly shining brownish 

 black, with abundant minute depressed pale pubescence. Genitalia small, 

 with two apical and two lateral brownish orange lamellae, and beneath with 

 all the middle part brownish yellow. 



Legs pale yellow ; front and hind coxae partly blackish • hind tibiae 

 occasionally slightly darkened at the tip ; anterior tarsi with the tip of the 

 basal joint obscured and the other four joints blackish or brownish with the 

 extreme tips of the second to fourth joints yellowish ; hind tarsi all bro^vnish or 

 brownish black, with the basal joint dilated and elongated so that it is slightly 

 longer than the other four joints together. Pubescence moderate, pale yellow, 

 and inconspicuous behind the femora and in a ciliation inside the hind tibije. 

 Pulvilli soft brown ; claws orange at the base, but black at the tip. 



Wings moderately tinged with brown and with a conspicuous blackish 

 brown stigma ; veins yellowish for some distance about the base ; discal cell 

 not unfrequently emitting an abortive third veinlet (fig. 150) as in Chorisojts. 



Fio. 150.— -Bens Morrisii S > var. x 10. 



Alar squamae yellow with pale yellow fringes ; thoracal squamae only indicated 

 by a raised yellow line. Halteres pale orange. 



9 . Very similar to the male, but altogether rather paler. Frons very narrow for 

 this genus, being barely one-fifth the width of the head, moderately shining 

 bluish black, indistinctly striate and punctate, very gradually widening down 

 to the face, and the face very gradually widening down to the mouth ; the 

 frons bears very short pale pubescence, and the face rather longer but still 

 inconspicuous pale pubescence ; upper part of the back of the head not at all 

 puffed out, dull black but bearing at the top part a patch of minute depressed 

 greyish brown pubescence. Eyes with only very short inconspicuous sparse 

 pubescence. Antennae quite as long as the head, the third joint being nearly 

 twice as long as the two basal joints together, but still placed on the lower 

 quarter of the head even though the eyes are smaller. 



Thorax ranging in colour from brilliant green to purplish ; pubescence all 

 short and yellow, comparatively scarce. 



Abdomen more shining purplish black or brownish, but blacker at the 

 base_ and tip ^ pubescence inconspicuous, all pale yellow. Genitalia showing 

 a pair of projecting two-jointed pubescent lamellce, of which the basal joint is 

 usually orange and the elongate thin second joint brownish. 



Legs even paler than in the male ; hind coxae yellow ; basal joint of the 

 hind tarsi hardly dilated but obviously yellowish; four last joints of the 

 anterior tarsi more brownish, and the pale tips of the joints more distinct. 

 Pubescence short and inconspicuous. 



Wings nearly clear, except for the conspicuous dark blackish brown (or in 

 immature specimens light brown) stigma. 



Length about 6 to 7 mm. 



This species does not vary much, but the abortive third veinlet from 

 the discal cell is not uncommon and may occur on one wing of a specimen 



