48 STEPHIDJK, 



and reaching side margin, the spots well separated. Pubescence 

 of abdomen whitish, sparse on dorsum but longer at sides, 

 especially on basal half ; microscopic black pubescence on black 

 parts. G-enitalia sbining blue-black. Venter indistinctly brownish- 

 yellow with indefinite blackish marks. Legs mainly black, coxae 

 with a little grey pubescence ; fore femora except narrowly below, 

 middle pair on about apical half, hind pair narrowly at tip, 

 anterior tibiae for nearly basal half, hind pair narrowly at base, 

 orange. Fore femora on outer side with long black hairs, also with 

 the peculiar, curved long hair near tip and three long yellow thin 

 bristles on under side, characteristic of the species {teste Verrall); 

 fore tibisB with very short sparse pale pubescence and some long 

 pale hairs on outer side ; middle femora with rather long yellowish 

 pubescence behind and a single yellow bristle on under side before 

 middle ; middle tibise with a few long black hairs on hinder side 

 on apical half ; hind femora with long yellowish or whitish 

 pubescence on outer and under sides; hind tibise with some pale 

 pubescence and longer hairs; hind metatarsi considerably in- 

 crassate. Wings practically clear ; stigma very pale yellow ; 

 halteres orange. 



Length, 9 mm. 



Described from a single 6 in the Indian Museum from Matiana, 

 Simla District, 8000 ft. Widely spread in Europe. 



There can be no doubt of the identity of this species (although 

 this description does not quite agree with Verrall's description of 

 British specimens), as the peculiar, curved single hair towards the 

 tip of the front femora, in conjunction with the equally unusual 

 yellow thin bristles below the front and middle femora, infallibly 

 distinguish it from all others except diibium, Zett., which differs 

 however in the abdominal markings and otherwise. A comparison 

 with the British specimens in the British Museum confirms the 

 identification, the Indian c? being slightly larger in size. M. am- 

 bigiium very closely resembles the S of Platycfiirns aJbimanus, but 

 is known by the undilated front tibise. 



M. duhium, Zett., was recently recorded by me from the Simla 

 District *, but a more detailed examination proved the specimen 

 to be only a melanoid Platycliirus alhimanus. 



40. Melanostoma orientale, Wied. (PI. I, fig. 14.) 



Syrphus orientalis, Wiedemann, Analec. Ent. p. 36 (1824) ; id., Auss. 

 Zweifl. ii, p. 139 (1830). 



Melanostoma orientale, de Meijere, Tijd .v. Ent. li, p. 312 (1908); 

 liv, p. 347 (1911); Brunetti, Rec. Ind, Mus. xi, p. 207, pi. xiii, 

 fig. 2, head in profile (1915) ; xiii, p. 85 (1917). 



J 5 . Head: eyes in S bare, closely contiguous for half or a 

 little more than half the distance from extreme vertical margin 

 to upper angle of frons ; lower facets barely appreciably smaller 



* Ecc. Ind. Mus. xi, p. 207 (1915). 



