liRISTALIS. 



15" 



masgots." E. arbusiontm, L., has been found in the larval stage in 

 puddles of dirty water *. 



liange. World-wide. w, j i*. „„„ 



A very lar<^e number of species are known, and the adults may 

 occur praticaliv in almost every conceivable habitat. They are 

 splendid hoverers, and may be taken in numbers on all sweet- 

 smelling flowers in the sunshine ; they have a very powerful and 

 rapid m^lit often with a loud hum like that of a bee. 



Ue Meiiere chives an excellent table of the species known to him t, 

 and notes on^'vaiious Oriental species were collated by met- 

 Osten-Sacken also has contributed several papers on the ancient 



history of E. tenax. 



Table of Species. 



1. Arista plumose (at least on basal half) . . 2. 

 Arista bare (or at most microscopically 



plumose at base) 1^- 



2. Eyes bare '^• 



Eyes distinctly pubescent (sometimes not 



wholly so) .- • ^■ 



3. Thorax grey-tomentose from anterior 



margin to suture ; abdominal 3rd and 4th 

 segments with metallic-giveu hind mar- 

 <r\ns and yellow markings; basal half 

 oulv of anterior tibiie yellow (hind legs 



missimr) .• ^«^"^' ^^^^^^ P" ^^-^ 



Thorax with a narrow grey baud immedi- 

 ately in front of suture ; abdominal 3rd 

 and 4tb segments without yellow 

 marking.-^, front and hind margins jcneous; 

 anterior tibiie and basal half of hind pair 

 yellow su/ural>s, sp. n., p. 19o. 



4. Hind tibite so curved as to appear broken, ciirvipes, .Sch., p. 19- 

 Hind tibiie without sncli ap])earance o. 



5. Abdomen all black; at most 1st segment 



more or less pale, or extreme hind margins 



of segments yellow or whitish . 6. 



Abdomen ne"ver all black; iletinite 

 yellowish spots of some size always 

 present, generally more or less like iLose 



of E. tena.r ; • ' • ^ , ^^ 



"Winfs with a large brown suffusion m |.P- i"0- 



miaaie himnlayenm, Bruii., 



Wings clear albihasis, IJig., p. 1 <->9. 



7. Basal lialf of hind femora orange hasijctnonitux, sp n., 



Hind femora wiiolly black, or tips only [p. l/o. 



pjile ^• 



8. Considerably ]>nbe8ceut species, somewhat 



like K intrirdrim. Rasal pubescence 



(,f abdomen dense, yellow, apical LP-^'^- 



pubescence rtnl • • • iutricarioides, sp. n., 



Comparatively bare species, never like 

 intricarius, generally more or less like 



tenax 



9. 



* See note in Appendix. t Tijil. v. P:iit. H, p. 24L> (1U08). 



; Rec. Incl. Miis. xi, p. 228 (1015). 



