8. SPANIA 317 



Abdomen narrower and rather longer than the thorax, gradually tapering in both 

 sexes, and composed of seven segments. 



Legs simple, and with only minute pubescence ; middle tibiae with two tiny but 

 distinct spurs ; hind tibia? with perhaps one very indistinct minute spur. 



Wings (fig. 208) almost as in Ptiolimi and also variable, but the third veinlet 

 from the discal cell is usually (though not always) abbreviated ; discal cross-vein 

 placed at or just before the middle of the discal cell, and consequently the upper 

 basal cell longer than the second one ; anal cell closed, but sometimes barely so. 

 Squamaa (alar) large, with short fringes ; thoracal pair small and indistinct. Halteres 

 very large and long. 



This genus is very closely allied to Ptiolina, in fact so much so that 

 various authors have sunk Ptiolina as a synonym of it ; I however agree 

 with Wahlberg and Becker in keeping it distinct. It differs from Ptiolina 

 in the shape of the third antennal joint and its apparent style, and 

 usually the third veinlet from the discal cell is abbreviated, while the 

 discal cross-vein is placed nearer the middle of the discal cell. 



Spania at present contains only one European species, but it has been 

 recorded from North America possibly in mistake for Ptiolina. 



Synonymy. — The original type species, S. 7iigra, is now well known, but was 

 often placed by old authors among the Empidce ; probably Stasger when suggesting 

 the genus Ptiolina in 1838 overlooked Spania and then in 1841 having noticecl it 

 was wUling to sink his own genus as a synonym, as he suggested altering the name 

 of his Ptiolina nigra to Spania atra. There are two misleading inaccuracies in 

 Becker's paper on Lepticke in Ent. ISTachr., xxvi., 104 (1900), when he stated that 

 Zetterstedt did not overlook the basal joint of the antennae and where he quoted 

 Zetterstedt in proof of the same ; both these errors are due to Becker having 

 overlooked the fact that Zettei-stedt's statements in 1849 were made on specimens 

 of Ptiolimi, as Zetterstedt at that time did not know the true Spania nigra ; when 

 however Zetterstedt in 1855 described the latter genus he expressly emphasised the 

 " antennae _ articulis tantum 2 distinctis," and " antennis articulis tantum duobus 

 " evolutis " ; it is however possible that Zetterstedt even then did not personally 

 know either the species or the genus, but was paraphrasing Boheman's statements 

 (Ofv. Vet. Akad. Forh., xi., 216). 



1. S. nigra Meigen. Dull black. Third veinlet from the discal cell 

 usually abbreviated, 



A small black fly, in fact the smallest fly described in this 

 volume ; a true Leptid but looking like an Empid. 



S . Face moderately shining black, broad and reti-eating, and with its broad side- 

 cheeks quite bare ; jowls moderate in size, and bearing black or greyish 

 pubescence which extends about half-way up the shining black back of the 

 head ; back of the head rather puffed out on the lower half, and bearing on 

 the upper half a short black postocular ciliation ; ocellar space dull black, 

 very nmch elevated, and bearing short black pubescence; frons triangular, 

 dull black and quite bare, rather sunken between the eyes ; proboscis rather 

 long and blackish, but the palpi apparently still 

 longer, thin and upturned, and with distinct black 

 pubescence. Eyes touching for nearly half the 

 distance between the occiput and the antenna? ; 

 facets abruptly enlarged on rather more than the 

 upper half, but the small facets extend a little way 

 up the back part of the eye. Antenme (fig. 207) dull Fig- 2()7.— Spania nigra 

 black, apparently two-jointed because the basal joint '^- ^ '^'^■ 



is so very small and short; second joint much larger, transverse cup-shaped, 

 slightly brownish on its outer margin ; both the basal joints with minute 

 black bristles ; third joint (not including the apparent style) longer and 



