MEGASPIS. 201 



space above antenuoB very distinct, the space on each side of it 

 yellowish-dusted, with yellowish-brown pubescence. Antennae dark 

 brown, ari.sta with basal hall' orange, plumose ; rest black, bare. 

 Eacial bump shining black, moderately large; rest of face with 

 brounish-yellow dust and pubescence. Lower part of head and 

 proboscis black. Occipital mnrgin on lower part rather shining 

 white; a shining black, nearly bare space on cheeks. In $, 

 frous rapidly widening from above downwards, at level of antennae 

 wider than one-third of bead; vertex black, with dense, shoi't, 

 black, still" pubescence; a black, moderately wide median stripe 

 extends thence to the wrinkled space, which hitter bears similar 

 pubescence. Upper part of frons (below the black vertex) with 

 yellowish dust and concolorous pubescence, thence both ground- 

 colour and pubescence become gradually more whitish to lower 

 part of head; the shining black central bump is comparatively 

 small. Thorax: ground-colour of" anterior part orange nearly to 

 suture, the colour carried over shoulders for some distance down 

 the pleurje, covered with short bright yellow pubescence; rest 

 of dorsum black, with very short, dense, black pubescence. 

 iScutellum similar; pleurae dull black or aeneous, more or less 

 tinged with yellowish in humeral region. Ahdomen black; 2nd 

 segment orange for about anterior two-thirds, this colour just 

 reaching side margins of 1st segment; 3rd and 4th segments 

 mainly dull black, but with a narrow orange band on anterior 

 margin, widening towards corners ; hind margins rather broadly 

 shining black, broader in middle; 5th segment all black. Venter 

 black, 2nd segment orange. Pubescence of abdomen mostly black, 

 but pale yellow on the orange-coloured parts. Legs black, with 

 black pubescence. Wings pale grey, anterior half moderately dark 

 bi'own, the colour approximately limited by the basal cells and 

 marginal cell; about half the discal cell paler brown; 3rd vein 

 very deeply looped and with a distinct, short appendix at tip of 

 loop; halteres yellowish. 



Length, 12-14 mm. 



Described from a c5' and several $ $ in the British Museum 

 from Borneo and Sumatra. Walker's type is in the British 

 Museum in very bad condition ; it was described from " East 

 Indies." The species requires conlirmation as Indian, and 1 do 

 not believe it ro be indigenous. 



16(J. Megaspis argyrocephalus, Mac<i. (PI. IV, tig. 20.) 



Evistaliii an/i/rocephaliiii, Macquart, Dipt. Exot. ii, 2, p. 45. pl. x, 

 lip. 5 (1842); de Meijure, Tijd. v. Eiit. ii, p. 240, notes (lOOS). 



Mei/axpit trnnnversus, Brunetti, I»ec. Ind. Mus. ii, p. 73, fig. tht)rax 

 ("I'JOS). 



<S $. Head ill cT with vertical triangle small, elongate, bhick ; 

 eyes contiguous for a rather short distance, all facets practically 

 uniform. Ground-colour of head black, frnns \\ilh snow-white 



