171: SYRPlIID.'t:. 



former with brown, latter with yellowish pubescence; face slightly 

 cut away below antennae, but produced forwards and downwards, 

 forming a large prominent epistome, which however in profile barely 

 extends below the eyes themselves ; also with a black, moderately 

 wide, median stripe, which on the central bump is free from pubes- 

 cence ; cheeks black. Antennae dark brown, arista long, bare. 

 In 2 ■> fi'ons nearly one-third width of head, shining black, with black 

 and yellow hairs mixed. Back of head in both sexes with yellowish 

 ])ubescence, longer on lower half. 2Vior«A' shining brownish-black, 

 duller in front, pubescence short, tawny ; a tuft of paler hairs on 

 ])ost-alar calli ; scutellum brownish-yellow, with concolorous 

 pubescence. Ahdomen: (^ , 1st segnient black, 2nd and 3rd 

 mainly brownish-orange ; a basal black band on 2nd segment, 

 narrowing towards sides, not reaching side margins, joined by a 

 median stripe to a similar band on hind margin leaving the 

 extreme margin pale ; a similar pattern on 3rd segment, the 

 basal band smaller, often absent, the hinder bnnd broader and 

 broadly attaining side margins ; rest of abdomen black. Consider- 

 able variety exists in the relative extent of blaclc and orange 

 markings. In $ , the orange is generally confined to the 2nd 

 segment, more or less encroaching on the 1st at the sides ; also 

 the extreme base, the hind margin, and the sides anteriorly, of the 

 3rd segment are orange. Venter in both sexes yellowish-orange 

 on basal half with an indefinite median dark stripe, blackish on 

 hind half. Genitalia concealed. Le(/s black ; knees and basal 

 third of fore and basal half of middle tibiae, yellow ; base 

 of middle tarsi and basal half of hind tibiae often brownish or 

 brownish-yellow ; hind femora sometimes brownish-yellow at base 

 or up to basal half. Pubescence of legs yellow, abundant on hind 

 femora ; coarse black hairs beneath apical part of hind femora. 

 Hind tibios compressed about the middle, rather twisted, with 

 abundant tawny pubescence, forming a ciliation on nearly all the 

 hinder side, and with a longer coarse black ciliation on front side 

 just beyond middle. Winr/s greyish, brov.nish on anterior half ; 

 a small quadrate dark brown spot below tip of auxiliary vein, 

 enclosing a small cross- vein ; squamae dull yellowish, thoracal pair 

 with dense coarse yellowish fringes; halteres dull brownish- 

 yellow. 



Lei)gtJi, 13-15 mm. 



The above description is mainly abbreviated from Verrall. 

 Probably V the most cosmopolitan species of SyrphiDjE known, 

 common almost eA^erywhere throughout the summer in the East. 

 India ; Ceylon ; Burma ; Assam ; the Malay Peninsula and east- 

 wards to Japan. I have taken it myself from Mussoorie to 

 Yokohama, through the Straits and in China. It also occurs in 

 Australia. The varietj^ campestrls, distinguished by the pale basal 

 half of the hind femora, is almost as common in India as the typical 

 form. I have taken il in both the hills and the plains, and 

 as far east as -Shimonoseki, Japan. 



