SYRPHIDJE. 23 



considerably larger than the others ; back of head only just pro- 

 j;^ctino[ beyond tlie postoeular orbit, grey, with a whitish 

 reflection; (antennae missing). Thorax and scutellum black, 

 moderately shining; sides and nietanotuin apparently con- 

 colorous ; scutelluni with a row of minute hairs on posterior 

 border. Abdomen shining lead colour, with a few microscopic 

 hairs ; the base of each segment, narrowly in the centre and 

 more broadly towards the sides, dead jet-bhick ; 6th segment the 

 longest, bearing a thick blackish-grey pointed genital organ, ter- 

 minating in a long shinv hrown ovipositor. Legs (middle pair 

 missing) black, barely shining; tips of femora rather narrowly, 

 and base of tibiae broadly," reddish-yellow ; base of tarsi yellowish- 

 brown, tips black, with a few hairs ; claws small, pulvilli distinct 

 and white. Legs ujicroscopically pubescent and the fore femora 

 with a few very small bristles below, near the tip. Winys quite 

 clear ; stigma pale brownish-yellow, stigmatic segment barely 

 longer than following segment ; anterior cross-vein just before 

 middle of discal cell ; 4th longitudinal moderately sinuous after 

 quitting tlie posterior cross-vein. 



Lem/th, tj^ mm. 



Described from a single specimen in the Indian Museum from 

 Kurseong, 5000 ft., 5. vii. 1908 (Annandale). 



Kertesz has (on Becker's authority) removed both of Thomson's 

 species, annatus and abscissus, to Verrallia, in Ann. Mus. Hung, 

 i, p. 405, 1903; yet Thomson in his lengthy description of 

 armatus distinctly says of the 3rd antennal jiiint " apice rostrato 

 acuminato," but does not mention any pilosity of the 2nd joint. 

 He mentions the very narrow postocular orbit of armatus. My 

 present species appears to be distinct from both of Thon)son's; 

 armatus having very short brown antennae, rather smoky anterior 

 portion of the wings and mainly black femora, this last character 

 being present in abscissus also*. 



Family SYRPHIU^. 



Jlecid about as wide as thorax. Eyes varying from bare to 

 densely hairy, sometimes pubescent in oin' sex only ; facets in cf 

 sometimes larger in front; generally contiguous or closely 

 approximate in d , rarely wide apart {Sphci/ina, Microdon); always 

 wide apart in 2 with rare exceptions and always wider apart 

 in $ than S ^^ven if only sliirhtly so. Frons Hush with eyes, 

 moderately or strikingly prominent. Face varying to about the 

 sane extent; in the more usual form in typical genera distinctly 

 projecting beyond eyes in profile, usually distinctly cut away 

 immediately btdow antennae, then produced into a central bump 

 of varying size and shape, then retreating again and linally again 

 produced over upper border of mouth. Excavation below central 



* P. armatus is replaced bj' Kertdaz in Pipuiiculus in Cat. Dipt, vii, p. 309 

 (1910). 



