310 LEPTID^ 



but even this synonymy will not bear investigation (v. Dipt. Scand., xii., 4595), because 

 in 1842 Zetterstedt stated that he only knew of two (or possibly three) males and one 

 female, and that even of these he had not seen the female, and these three specimens 

 did not include those specimens (" quales ") which he had seen from " Dalecarlia " 

 and which had been taken by Boheman ; Ft. niyriiia Wahlb. is a distinct species, 

 and the name Spania atra of Staeger is worthy of consideration because it is obvious 

 that when Stseger suggested the generic name Ptiolinam 1838 he had overlooked 

 the genus Sjxinia of Meigen (1820), but that between 1838 and November 1841 he 

 had come to the conclusion that his suggested genus Ptiolina was only a synonym 

 of Spania, and that as there was already a Spania nigra of Meigen he proposed 

 the new name of Spania atra for his own species. The genus and sjiecies Spania 

 nigra Meig. have also been frequently misunderstood, and it is essential that the 

 type species of each genus should be thoroughly identified ; I believe I have 

 succeeded in doing this, and I hope that the three species described in this work 

 have now been rescued from all doubt. 



There can be no doubt but that Spania and Ptiolina are very closely allied, and 

 Meigen caused the first confusion by placing Sjmiiia in his Hi/botince between 

 Ocydrorriia and Trichina ; Meigen however suspected his error, as he wrote " ihr 

 " Adernverlauf kommt viel mit Atherix iiberein." I do not think that anybody who 

 has once known the genuine Spania nigra of Meigen has ever confounded it with 

 any other species, but many writers who have not known the true Spania nigra 

 have mistaken species of Ptiolina for it. Probably the most ridiculous errors 

 concerning S]M7iia were made by Bigot in 1856 and 1857, as after stating in 1856 that 

 Ptiolina was identical with Spanda (a misprint) he corrected himself in 1857 (Ann. 

 Soc. Ent. Fr. (3) v. 523), and stated that Spania was quite distinct from Ptiolina 

 and should be placed near " Clinocei-a Meig., tribu des Lejytidi, aj^res la soustraction 

 " du genre Ghauna" whereas Clinocera belongs to the Bmpidce and Chaima to the 

 Stratiomyidce ! Ptiolina was a genus unknown to Schiner in 1862, but was adopted 

 by him for the genus now distinguished as Symphoromj/ia (perhaps misled by Walker 

 in Ins. Brit. Dipt., i.) ; however in 1868 Schiner learned to know the true genus 

 Ptiolina, and dealt with the then known species which he distinguished in a most 

 unsatisfactory manner, Frauenfeld in 1867 (Verh. zool.-bot. Ges., p. 491) well 

 distinguished PtioliTia and Symphoromyia but unfortunately knew nothing about 

 Spania. In the meantime (1849) Zetterstedt (Dipt. Scand., viii., 2991), probably 

 prompted by Stagger, but still without actually knowing Sptania nigra, was almost 

 convinced that Spania and Ptiolina could form only one genus, and again suggested 

 that Ptiolina nigra should be called Pt. atra ; but in 1855 (Dipt. Scand., xii., 4595) 

 when he knew the true SjMnia nigra he had no hesitation in retaining both genera, 

 Becker in 1900 (Ent. Nachr., xxvi., 103) separated the two genera, though strange to 

 say he complimented Zetterstedt for being accui'ate about the antennae at the time 

 when the latter had never seen Spania but inaccurate after he had seen it ! It is to 

 be hoped that no further confusion will arise between the two genera, but I consider 

 them too closely allied to allow the specific name of nigra to be retained in each 

 and I have therefore adopted Stseger's proposed change of his P. nigra to P. atra. 



To return to the type of the genus Ptiolina, I believe I have correctly identified 

 Leptis obscura. of Fallen, which must be the type, but there is an important 

 distinction between my description and that of Becker (Ent. Nachr., xxvi., 110), 

 even though Becker's description was made from specimens in Boheman's and 

 Zetterstedt's collection ; I have however dealt with this in my synonymical notes 

 upon Pt. ohscura. 



1. P. obscura Fallen. Side-cheeks sparsely pubescent. Antennae with 

 very short bristly hairs on the basal joints in both sexes (tig. 200). 



A small obscure blackish Leptid. 



$ . Face, including the broad side-cheeks, brown ; epistoma small and quite bare ; 

 side-cheeks very broad, being broader than the epistoma. and bearing long 

 but rather sparse brownish hairs ; jowls large, brownish black, and bearing 

 rather long blackish brown pubescence ; lower part of the back of the head 

 broad and bearing similar pubescence, but the upper part shallow and bearing 

 a moderately long black postocular fringe ; vertex blackish, considerably 

 elevated, forming an equilateral triangle, and bearing rather short black 



