318 



LEPTID^ 



stouter, rather longer than deep but not at all tapering, minutely l;)ut coarsely 

 pubescent, and produced from the underside of its tip like a style which 

 is about two and a half times as long as the stout part of the third joint 

 and is also shortly but coarsely pubescent ; this apparent style is thick, 

 straightly porrected, and slightly tapering to a point and there may possibly 

 be an articulation as indicated in fig. 209. 



Thorax and scutellum dull black, but with a faint gloss in some lights and 

 perhaps with faint darker stripes ; pubescence not scarce but composed of 

 inconspicuous short black (in some lights rather greyish) bristly hairs, which 

 become longer on the posthumeral calli and round the margin of the 

 scutellum ; pleurae bare, rather greyish brownish black. 



Abdomen moderately shining brownish black, rather longer than the 

 thorax and scutellum together but much narrower and rather tapering, and 

 with a tendency towards compression on the apical half ; pubescence blackish, 

 very short and inconspicuous. Genitalia concealed in the last segment. 



Legs brownish black or almost black (lighter colored when immature), thin 

 and quite simple, without any pubescence except a moderately distinct 

 ciliation ; middle tibiae with two tiny spurs, but I cannot distinguish any 

 spur on the hind tibiie unless there may be a very minute one. 



Wings (fig. 208) with a slight smoky blackish tinge, all minutely pubescent, 

 and with a large darkened stigma which occupies all the end of the marginal 



cell ; the two upper veinlets 

 from the discal cell usually 

 sessile, but frequently separ- 

 ated (sometimes widely) and 

 not uncommonly petiolate as in 

 Ptiolina (figs. 204, 205), while 

 the third veinlet is usually 

 abbreviated but is sometimes 

 complete ; it is also not un- 

 common to find a spurious cross- 

 vein connecting the two upper 

 veinlets from the discal cell soon 

 after their origin, and thereby forming a small complete cell above the end 

 portion of the discal cell (almost as in fig. 206) ; discal cross-vein liardly 

 before the middle of the discal cell ; anal cell sometimes barely closed or 

 sometimes distinctly petiolate ; it is very usual to find the venation varying 

 differently in the two wings. Squamai (alar) fairly large, smoky blackish 

 with short fringes ; thoracal squamae practically absent. Halteres very large, 

 long, and conspicuous, dull black. 



? , Rather larger and more shining than the male. Frons very broad, being 

 nearly half the width of the head, and with the almost equally Inroad face 

 (including the broad side-cheeks) shining black or 

 brownish black (immature 1 ) and quite bare ; ocellar 

 space still highly elevated. Eyes very much smaller, 

 and the facets all ecjually small, Init the back of the 

 head (away from the large vertical space) still 

 scarcely inflated. Antennae (fig. 209) with the basal 

 joint distinct though small ; second joint larger than 

 in the male and almost as long as broad ; third joint 

 with its basal portion enlarged, globular or sul)- 

 quadrate, thicker and longer than the second joint, 

 and with its underside shelving off gently into a 

 long thick style-like projection which is about two and a half times as long as 

 the stout basal portion ; this style-like projection starts on its upper side at 

 a more clearly defined angle from the stout basal portion, and is so con- 

 spicuously pubescent that it appears to be more than half as thick as the 

 stout basal portion, and on its apical <iuarter it indistinctly tapers to almost a 

 point, and this portion may be articulated as indicated in fig. 209 but I am 

 uncertain about this as I have had only one good specimen before me for 

 examination. 



Thorax shining black with very slight indications of grey dust, and bearing 



Pig. lOi.—^panianUjra £. X 20. 



Fig. 209.— .S^xmta nigra 9. 

 X 06. 



