PLATVf.HlUL'S. 53 



mined with certainty in the (S- sex ; but as nielanoid females are 

 by no means uncommon, some specimens of tliis latter sex are not 

 so easily determinable. 



The two Indian species are thus separated ; — 



Epistome very conspicuously produced to a 



distance equal to greatest width of eyes 



in profile, or more ; front tarsi in cj with 



tirst two joints very much dilaied, the 1st 



tliree times as wide as tip of tihia, and 



both 1st and 2nd at least three times as 



wide <as the narrow remaining joints; [lai/ensis, Bvun., y). o3. 



(abdominal spots in J presumably yellow), manicatus, Meig.,var. hi))Hi- 

 Epistome only moderately produced, not 



more than half width of eyes in profile ; 



front tarsi in c? at base no wider than tip 



of tibia, gradually decreasing in width to 



tip; abdominal spots in $ bluish albbnanus, Fabi'., p. o4. 



43. Platychirus manicatus, Me'uj., var. himalayensis, Bran. 

 (PL I, ligs. 11, 12.) 



Syrphus manicatus, Meigen, Syst. Beschr. iii, p. 336 (1822). 

 Flati/chints manicatus var. himalayensis, Jiruuetti, Rec. Ind. ^lus. 



xi', p. 209 (191o). 

 Platychirus manicatus, Verrall, Brit. Flies, viii, p. 266 (1901). 



c? . Head: eyes contiguous for some little distance, bare; 

 vertical triangle black with a little grey dust and black hairs ; 

 frous and face aeneous-black, covered with yellowish-grey dust 

 except for the bare, shining black, small, but conspicuous central 

 knob, and immediately above tip of month-opening. Frons with 

 black, and face with yellow, pubescence. Antennae black. Occi- 

 put with yellowish-grey dust and a fringe of short hairs which are 

 black on upper part and yellow on rest of margin. Thora.v 

 aeneous-black with a slight greenish tinge ; scutellum similar ; 

 pubescence of thorax brownish, more blackish on hinder part and 

 also on scutellum ; latter with a fringe of yellow liairs dependent 

 from hind margin ; sides of thorax with pubescence more yellowish. 

 Abdomen black; 1st segment more or less ceneous ; 2nd, 3rd and 

 4th each with a pair of orange, subqnadrate spots, their inner 

 corners somewhat rounded, placed very near side margins, those 

 on 2nd segment well below anterior margin, those on 3rd and 4th 

 segments touching anterior margin or practically so ; an indistinct 

 pair of similar spots on 5th segment; 2nd segment distinctly 

 aeneous on anterior corners, the colour blended with the lirst pair 

 of spots and extending more or less distinctly along sides of seg- 

 ment. Pubescence of abdomen yellow, much longer at sides ; 

 some almost microscopic black pubescence on black parts. Venter 

 yellowish, with a little pale pubescence; tip of abdomen shining 

 a'ueous, with a greenish tinge. Le(js black; anterior femora 

 broadly, hind i)air narrowly, basal lialf of anterior tibia' and lirst 



