4. PAMPONERUS 653 



have subsequoutly learned that the face-beard of the male is never wholly 

 white, and in fact the species varies but very little. An unusually large 

 female taken at Nethy Bridge on July 4, 1905, has two black bristles on 

 the hypopleurre, and the front coxae with one black bristly hair mixed in 

 the wliite pubescence. 



B. variabilis has been taken in considerable numbers by Colonel 

 Yerbury in North Scotland ; he first took it at Forres in Elgin in 1899, 

 and at Nethy Bridge in Inverness in 1900, but has since taken it freely 

 at Nairn and Brodie; his dates range from June 18 to August 20, and he 

 and Mr C. G. Lamb have told me that it is common on stones on bare 

 ground. It is recorded from all Northern Europe and Asia, but when it 

 occurs as far south as North Germany it appears to prefer mountain 

 districts. 



4. PAMPONERUS. 



Pamponcrus Loew, Linn. Ent., iv., 135 (1849). 



Large dark colored flies, with considerable soft rather long 

 straggly pubescence but with only weak bristles on the thorax 

 and practically none on the abdomen. Wmgs darkened on the 

 outer half. 



Head with the facial knob unusually large and the face-beard extending almost 

 up to the antennaj ; festoon extensive and rather bent over forwards on the upper 

 part. 



Thorax with only short pubescence on the front part. Bristles more numerous 

 than usual, there being three or four prtesutural, three to five supra-alar with 

 apparently some small intra-alar, numerous postalar (about six besides smaller 

 bristly hairs), and numerous not very distinct dorso-central which scarcely extend 

 anterior to the suture ; metapleural and hypopleurai fans almost hair-like. 

 Scutellum with only a few weak marginal bristles. 



Abdomen more hairy tlian in Uluidiunjiis or Asilus, and with practically no prte- 

 hindmarginal bristles as even the two or three bristly hairs near the sides can hardly 

 be called bristles ; eighth segment almost invisible both dorsally and ventrally. 

 Genitalia of the male of moderate size ; claspers deeply dentate after the middle so 

 as to leave comparatively narrow short forceps ; ovipositor conical, short, not in the 

 least laterally compressed nor with any terminal circlet of spines. 



Legs black, with the tibiae reddish orange ; femora not thickened ; tarsi with the 

 joints of normal length. Pubescence not at all scarce ; bristles absent on the front 

 femora but unusually numerous on the posterior legs. 



Wings with about the basal half strongly contrasted in colour with the dark 

 apical half ; upper branch of the cubital fork only slightly upturned at its end 

 (fig. 353). Squamae (alar) with thick margins on which is an abundant rather long 

 fringe. 



This genus may be known by the peculiarly contrasted coloring of the 

 wings, by the absence of bristles but the presence of soft outstanding 

 pubescence on the abdomen, by the abundant bristles on the femora, and 

 l)y the face-beard being continued almost up to the antennae; the black 

 femora and the bright orange-red tibice also afford useful characters. 



Pamponerus was originally founded upon the single European species 

 P. germanicus, and as far as the Palsearctic region is concerned that is still 

 the only known species, as P. helvedcus of Mik is hardly more than a 

 local variety. I think that Philonims areolaris Bigot from Celebes belongs 

 to Pamijoncrus, while the little known Asilus armatipcs Macq. from North 



