212 STRPHID-E. 



Head about as wide as thorax. Eyes pubescent, contiguous in 

 (S for some distance, wide apart in 5 5 f^-ce slightly hollowed 

 below antennae, central knob of modei'ate size, upper mouth-edge 

 produced ; antenna? normal, 2nd joint ratlier long, 3rd oval, arista 

 nearly basal, bare. Head pubescent. Thorax robust, slightly 

 humped, lo))ger than broad, densely pubescent, as is always the 

 concolorous scutellum. Abdomen varying in shape and nature of 

 pubescence ; generally ovate or elongate. Legs strong, in J always 

 with a process or processes on either hind coxoe, liind femora or 

 hind tibiae ; the latter curved, generally somewhat flattened ; tarsi 

 broad and flat; in $, legs simple. Wings comparatively sliort ; 

 venation as in Helophdus. 



Life-historjj. That of M. equesiris, Fabr., which infests the 

 bulbs of Nsircissi and allied plants, is well known, the species 

 having often been bnnl (see also remarks under Eumerus,^. 248). 



Range. All the Old World. Only one species, J/, equestris, 

 is known in the New World (North America), and it has un- 

 doubtedly been introduced inadvertently in bulbs. 



Table of Species. 



1. Thorax wholly unstriped interveyiieyis, Walk., p. 212. 



Thorax more or less distinctly longi- 

 tudinally striped 2. 



2. Abdomen conspicuously elongate, 1| 



times as long as thorax and scutellum. tuberculatus, Brun., p. 214. 

 Abdomen elongate-conical, not much 



longer than thorax 3. 



3. Larger sp., 20 mm. . vnricolor, Walk., p. 215. 



Smaller spp., 12-16 nun 4. 



4. Thoracic dorsum witli three black stripes, 



the median stripe more or less sub- 

 divided ^;«//?(/ms, Macq., p. 217. 



Thoracic dorsum with four black stripes 



of about uniform size albifasciatus, Macq., p. 218. 



167. Merodon interveniens, Walk. 



Merodon interveniejis, Walker, Proc. Linn. Soc. Loud, iv, p. 120 



(1860). 

 Tigridimnyia pictipes, Bigot, Ann. Soc. Ent. France, (G) ii, Bull. 



p. cxxi (Tigridemyia, 1882). 

 Polt/dontomyia orientalis, Brunetti, Bee. Ind. Mus. ii, p. 74 (1908). 



(S . Head : eyes bare, unicolorous, black ; contiguous for a 

 short distance only ; vertical triangle a little raised, grey-dusted, 

 with stiff black hairs and yellowish translucent ocelli ; Irons and 

 face whiti.Nh-dusted, former with brownish-yellow pubescence, 

 latter with whitish pubescence ; cheeks nearly bare, rather shining 

 brown ; facial bump nioderatel)' prominent ; a median, pale brown, 

 ratlier shining stripe. Antennae orange-brown, arista orange, 

 bare. Occiput greyisli, with short white pubescence on lower 

 margin. Thorax dark brownish-grey, with rather dense yellowish 

 pubescence, and some black hairs intermixed ; humeri dull 



