524 BOMBYLIDiE 



interruptedly across near the base of the wing, the second forms a large sub- 

 t^uadrate spot near the middle of the dark colour which usually has its 

 lower marginal space slightly brownish but occasionally sharply defined, the 

 third forms a doulile si)ot at the discal cross-vein and has its upper jiortion 

 clear hyaline but its lower part usually slightly brownish, while the fourth 

 forms the other double spot on the (apparent) lower cross-veins and 

 always has both its parts obviously tinged with brown ; base of the wings 

 black tending towards dark brown near the first hyaline band ; foremargin 

 of wings and stem of postical vein brownish orange ; costa with a broad 

 dull black base on which are dense dull black stout scales, and in good 

 specimens these are overlaid with numerous orange scales which decrease 

 in number as they recede from the base of the wing ; at the extreme wing- 

 base is a very small tuft of brownish yellow or shimmering orange hairs, 

 and between this and the broad costal space is a strong black hook bent 

 finger - like and slightly tapering ; discal cross-vein opposite to, or a 

 little before the origin of the cubital vein ; the portion of the upi^er branch 

 of the postical fork which forms the lower part of the discal cell very short, 

 being only from an eighth to a fifth the length of the basal end of the discal 

 cell or sometimes only a spot. Squainie (alar) fairly large, dull black with 

 a tinge of Ijrown or altogether brown, with a thick dull black or dark brown 

 margin, and with a dense continuous moderately long snow-white fringe, while 

 a similar but shorter fringe extends round the alulaj. Halteres brownish 

 orange, or even yellow, with a darkened stem. 



$ . Very similar to the male, in fact so much like it that the sexes are not at 

 all easily distinguished. Frons deep black, usually rather wider than in the 

 male, being at the vertex sometimes about one-seventh the width of the 

 head and widening more regularly, the sides being oblique without any 

 trace of a curve, and with a few golden scales on its middle part ; face and 

 neighborhood of antennse with numerous more silvery grey or brownish 

 yellow scales ; the red-orange part of the face may be wider and more 

 conspicuous and may bear more dense yellowish silvery scales, while the scales 

 against the front part of the mouthmargin are more tawny ; back of the 

 head more puffed out, with the silvery sheen behind the eyes most conspicuous 

 on the widened space about the middle, but less conspicuous on the upper 

 part. Eyes when viewed from in front not quite so wide above the middle 

 part. 



Thorax with fewer erect thin black hairs on the disc, but with several long 

 yellowish white bristles on the postalar calli. 



Abdomen without any chestnut coloring near the basal corners. Belly 

 blackish with only very narrow inconspicuous tawny hindmargins, and with 

 a universal adpressed cinnamon pubescence amongst which is no trace of 

 white hairs ; numerous inconspicuous long pale hairs are scattered all about, 

 but no black ones occur except near the tijj ; ovipositor small, orange. 



Legs with the anterior tibiae a little more darkened at the tip ; front tarsi 

 more pubescent, and the bristles on the i^osterior tibige more numerous. 



Length about 10 mm., but varying from 7 mm. to 12 mm. 



This species is very easily distinguished from any other in Britain, 

 and probably from any Anthrax in North Europe, but several very closely 

 allied species occur in Southern Europe and in North America, 

 of which one {A. [/alius Loew) occurs as near as Bordeaux. A. (jaUvs and 

 A. perspicillaris (a common species in Italy, Greece, Asia Minor, and 

 South Kussia) have the tuft of white hairs beneath the wing-base extending 

 as a complete stripe across the pleura3 to the bottom of the sternopleurse 

 between the front and middle coxee, and both have the tomentum on 

 the third and fourth ventral segments all conspicuously snow-white; A. 

 hispamis from Spain has the face all luteous, and the white tomentum 

 on the belly even more extended ; while A. mutilus from Ehodes has 



