& 



228 STRATIOMYID^ 



Described from continental specimens. 



(J . Frons about one-seventh (or less of) the width of the head, and with almost 

 parallel sides down to the slight widening near the antennae, shining black, bare, 

 and polished on the broad middle part from the front ocellus until quite half- 

 way to the antennae, but with the sides narrowly but distinctly and equally dull 

 grey ; the part of the frons below this polished portion roughened and when 

 seen from above pale greyish, while the eyes have a curious triangular depression 

 against the sides of the slight widening near the antenna ; pubescence on the 

 grey side lines forming a delicate but inconspicuous grey ciliation, and this 

 pubescence extending to the grey pai't just above the antennae ; ocellar triangle 

 and the vertex behind it rather dulled and bearing short pale pubescence ; the 

 grey cross-band above the antennae extending down outside the antennae and 

 covering all the small face and the narrow sides of the mouth, the mouth-opening 

 being very large ; jowls very small ; lower half of the back of the head puffed 

 out and bearing abundant rather long greyish white pubescence on a blackish 

 grey ground with light grey eyemargins ; upper part of the back of the head 

 almost flush with the eyes. Proboscis large and protruded, orange ; palpi 

 orange with a whitish sheen, very long and upturned, basal joint thinner 

 than the second but almost as long, second joint long-oval or club-shaped and 

 quite three times as long as broad. Antennae nearly three times as long as the 

 head, dull blackish brown but glistening paler on the inside in some lights and 

 greyish orange on the inner side of the basal part of the flagellum ; two basal 

 joints small and short. 



Thorax shining black but a little dulled by rather abundant punctuation 

 and by the abundant though not dense and not very short greyish yellow 

 depressed pubescence, which extends all over the disc, the pleurae, and the 

 scutellum, though when seen from behind the broad middle front part of 

 the thorax seems to show a broad stripe blacker than the rest ; pubescence 

 on most of the pleurae slightly longer and glistening, but short on the nieta- 

 pleurae ; outer part of the humeri and a moderately narrow (but steadily 

 widening) stripe along the upper margin of the mesopleurae to the wing-base 

 reddish orange and this colour extending slightly down the hindmargin of the 

 pteropleurae ; hypopleura^ with a rather indistinct orange spot near the base 

 of the middle legs. Scutellum conspicuously reddish orange with the sides 

 black. 



Abdomen shining black, but with a large semicircular (or broadly arched) 

 orange spot on the basal segment which reaches the hindmargin of the 

 segment but does not quite extend to the sides ; pubescence conspicuously 

 greyish white all over, and equal but not dense. Belly shining brownish black, 

 but orange at the base and with the hindmargins of the segments yellowish ; 

 almost bare. Genitalia (doubtful whether male or female) in no way clubbed 

 or swollen, but with two long narrow orange lamellae, at the tip of each of 

 which is a short second joint, and all bearing pale pubescence ; when seen 

 from beneath there is also an elongate narrow middle orange basal part. A 

 specimen which may be a true male if the previous description relates to the 

 female, or which may be a specimen with the genitalia crumpled, appears to 

 have the genitalia short and orange, ■with the side lamellae forming small 

 rounded clubs without any second joint, and with a middle pair of parallel 

 touching lamellae beneath, and with another pair of short rounded lamellae 

 beneath well out at the sides but quite at the base. 



Legs all orange (including the coxae and trochanters) until the darkened 

 last three or four joints of the tarsi ; pubescence all over (even to the tips of 

 the tarsi) short, abundant, and whitish, though not very conspicuous except 

 as a sUvery sheen on the hind femora, but this pubescence becomes rather 

 longer and do'wnier on the under side of all the femora ; spurs on the posterior 

 tibiae obvious, orange j hind femora but little thickened and with no sign of 

 any bristles or serration beneath. Pulvilli small and broad, dull orange ; 

 claws very small, dull orange. 



Wings yellowish at quite the base • prajfurca blurred soon after its origin ; 

 second veinlet from the discal cell hardly complete ; fourth posterior cell 

 closed and stalked as much as the anal cell ; small cross-vein well present ; 

 ambient vein extended to the end of the first veinlet from the discal cell. 



