72 stratiomyid.t:. 



43. Odontomyia viridana, Wied. 



Odontomyia viridanct, Wiederuami, Analec. Entom. p. 29 (1824). 



" Antennae and legs reddish yellow, epistome and lower part of 

 frons green, rest of frons ochraceoiis ; thorax black, apex, sides 

 and two stripes clothed with rather golden hairs ; posterior corners 

 and sides of thorax green, latter with two reddisli-yellow spots ; 

 scutelluin black in n)iddle at base ; abdomen black, with somewhat 

 reddish-yellow segmental margins ; at each side of each segment a 

 green transverse spot, which sometimes extends across the whole 

 segment ; venter green ; wings quite clear, veins pale reddish 

 yellow; halteres yellowish, clubs green; all the green colour 

 emerald-green. Bengal. Westermann's collection." 



Subfamily SARGINiE. 



Head semicircular, attached by a thin, ratlier long, very fragile 

 neck ; eyes large, bare or hairy, generally contiguous in S ; 

 autennai with 3rd joint not elongate, rounded or rather flattened, 

 always with a distinct arista. Tliorax roughly oblong ; scu- 

 tellum generally unspined. Abdomen 5- or 6-segniented, generally 

 distinctly longer than thorax, in most genera with approximately 

 parallel sides ; generally of brilliant metallic-green, blue, violet, or 

 brassy shades ; sometimes short and rounded (il/iVroc/frysa). Legs 

 weak and simple. Wiwis with costa nearly reacliing wing-tip : 

 3rd vein generally forked, both branches ending before wing-tip, 

 anterior cross-vein joining praefurca instead of 2nd vein with 

 discal cell — an exceptional character; jiosterior cross-vein present, 

 so that the 5th vein forms no part of the discal cell ; 4th vein 

 with three terminations, which do not reach the wing-margin ; 

 5 posterior cells, all open ; anal cell closed near border of wing ; 

 squamae small. 



The only character distinguishing this subfamily from the 

 others is that of the anterior cross-vein joining the praefurca and 

 discal cell, instead of the 3rd vein and discal cell as is usual. The 

 more or less rounded 3rd antennal joint with distinct arista, 

 the parallel-sided elongate abdomen, and the brilliant metallic 

 colour of most of the species are other characters mainly applying 

 to this subfamily. The species are thinly pubescent or nearly 

 bare. 



Life-Jilston/. That of several European species is partly known, 

 but the exact identity of some of them is doubtful, the accounts 

 of them having been written before the species were clearly 

 distinguished. Larva with sides nearly parallel, not tapering 

 behind ; each segment with about six rather long bristles trans- 

 versely placed on both upper and lower surfaces. Lundbeck 

 thinks the metathoracic spiracles may be absent. The larvae 

 occur in dung and garden mould. The perfect insects are 

 generally distributed and fly with rapidity in hot sunshine. 



