13. DIOCTRIA 739 



at Nethy Bridge in Inverness-shire, and also took it at Kingussie, 

 Inverness, Forres, Elgin, and the Culbin Sandhills. Dr J. H. Wood on 

 one occasion observed a male following another male step for step but 

 a few inches behind it, just as if it were on a love chase. It is recorded 

 from all Central and Northern Europe. 



Synonymy. — Meigen first described this publicly as D. Reinhardi Wied. in 1820, 

 but Wiedemann had in 1818 referred to a "Z>. licinhardi mihi," which he said Meigen 

 had described long before as a new species under that name, though probably only 

 in correspondence. Meigen described the male only under this name, but three 

 pages previous described the female as D. cothurmita and D. umln-J lata rum ; it is 

 possible that strong priority-mongers might claim the name of D. cothurmita as that 

 appears on p. 244 before D, umheUatarum, but I prefer to accept Wiedemann's 

 name. It is strange tliat even in 1847 Loew thought lie possessed or had seen both 

 sexes of both D. Jieinliardi and D. cothurnata, and Walker in 1851 fell into the 

 error of keeping them distinct, while Zetterstedt also thought that he possessed 

 both sexes of both species. 8huckard in 1841 described the female very badly as a 

 new species, D. Mei genii, but Walker pointed out the synonymy. One female was 

 in Bigot's collection as D. vmhcUatarum Meig. but his two supposed males under 

 that name were both pale winged females of I), oelawlica. 



4. D, rufipes DeGeer. Anterior legs mainly orange, but hind legs 

 black except at the knees. 



Distinguished by the large pubescent antennal prominence. 



S . Black, moderately shining. Face pale golden or dull pale yellow or almost 

 silvery, but shining black under the antennae, though the golden dust extends 

 sparingly outside this shining black part up to the base of the antennae ; face- 

 beard concentrated on the middle part of the slightly produced lower third of 

 the face, and composed of about twenty long pale hairs which extend equally 

 upwards and outwards so that they are not ranged in a single line along the 

 upper mouth-edge and so that they leave wide spaces between them and the 

 eyes ; sides of the mouth shining black ; chin-beard whitish yellow and com- 

 posed of soft thin hairs similar to those on the lower part of the back of 

 the head ; back of the head shining black with a bare shimmering whitish 

 eye-collar which does not extend above the lower two-thirds, while behind this 

 bare collar on the lower part of the head are rather thin though abundant 

 long pale hairs which diminish in number as they ascend and form behind 

 the upper half of the head a postocuiar row of about a dozen blackish orange 

 bristles which are curved forwards at their tips, but on the top of the head 

 the bristles and hairs retreat considerably back from the eyes ; still more out 

 towards the back of the head are some thin straight orange hairs ; close 

 against the upper eye-angle are some tiny yellow hairs which are difficult to 

 see ; frons rather deeply sunk, shining black, and bearing on the orbits some 

 minute dark orange hairs which are also difficult to see ; antennal promin- 

 ence broad and unusually high, shining black, and with abundant rather long 

 black pubescence on its sides ; ocellar knob sharply raised but with only 

 exceedingly minute pubescence _; collar shining black with a few yellowish 

 hairs and bristly hairs. Proboscis shining black, Avith the usual hairs near the 

 tip on the upper side rather long and pale, but those beneath near the base 

 long and whitish ; palpi shining black, about one-third the length of the 

 proboscis, and with long projecting yellow bristles on the end part but with 

 the usual thin whitish hairs beneath near the base. Antennae shining black 

 on the two basal joints; basal joint nearly twice as long as the second and 

 bearing abundant black bristly hairs which on the underside are rather long ; 

 second joint also with sliort black bristly hairs ; third joint dull brownish 

 black, hardly as long as the basal two together, and bearing several small 

 dorsal bristles near its base ; style hardly a quarter the length of the third 

 joint. 



Thorax shining black, but rather obscured by the orange pubescence which 



