46 SYRPHIDiE. 



sparse, almost microscopic greyish pubescence ; ceuti'al knob and 

 space immediately below it very shining black ; moutli-border 

 narrowly orange, moderately produced, with a small bump on 

 each side of it; eye-margins dull blackish, with sparse, rather 

 short greyish hairs : occiput grey, with short greyish hairs. 

 Antennae dull dirty brownish-grey; arista bare, black. In $ , frons 

 }iot much narrowed on vertex ; about one-third width of head 

 just above antenna? is shining black with a little grey pubescence. 

 Thorax and scutellum shining black, with rather thick brownish- 

 yellow pubescence, a few black bristly hairs intermixed in front 

 of wings, and on hind margin of scutellum, where these black 

 hairs are much longer than the general pubescence; sides 

 moderately dark shining greyish, with yellowish-grey hair. 

 Abdomen all shining black, with close, pale yellowish-grey pubes- 

 cence ; venter similar. Legs blackish, with pale yellowish-grey 

 pubescence ; extreme tips of femora, base of tibice rather nax'rowly 

 in (S and to the extent of basal third in 5 , brownish-yellow ; 

 tarsi blackish, with pale hairs above and thick rich golden-brown 

 or golden-yellow pubescence below ; base of middle tarsi above 

 more or less brownish-yellow. Winf/s very pale grey, c? , practi- 

 cally clear, $ ; stigma pale yellow ; halteres yellowish. 



Length, c? 7, $ 6 mm. 



Described from a single d", Matiana, and 5 , Simla, 7. v. 1910, 

 in the Indian Museum (both AnnandaJe). 



JV.B. Various other species of Chilosia are Indian, but are 

 mostly represented by uniques or indifferently preserved speci- 

 mens, so that in such a critical genus it would be worse than folly 

 to set them up as new. C. grossa, Fallen, was recorded by me * 

 with a doubt from two specimens in the Forest Zoologist's 

 collection from the Western Himalayas (Binsor, Kumaon District, 

 28. v. 1912, J 2 l_Iinms'\), but no further specimens have come 

 before me, and the various discrepancies from normal grossa 

 suggest that the identification of the species requires further 

 confirmation. 



Genus MELANOSTOMA, Sch. 



Melanostoma, Schiner, Wien. Eut. Moiiats. iv, p. 213 (1860). 

 Plesia, Macquart, Dipt. Exot. Supp. 4, p. 15(3 (1849). 

 Pai/lof/aster, Lioy, Atti Isti. Veneto, (3) ix, p. 753 (1864). 



GrENOTYPE, Musca melUna, L. ; by original designation. 



Differing from /Syrp/nts by the entire absence of pale markings 

 on face, thorax and scutellum ; from PlatycJiiriis by the front 

 tarsi in the S not being dilated, and from Chilosia by the absence 

 of eye-margins. These distinctions are sufficient to understand 

 the Oriental species, but there are one or two European genera 

 very closely allied. The exact limits of the genus are not 



* Eec. Incl. Mas. xi, p. 206 (1915). 



