214 SYRpniD^. 



in tlie legs witli the individaal. Pubescence of lepis pale yellow. 

 Wings pale grey ; subcostal cell a little darker and a trifle 

 yellouisli; thoracic squamae dull yelloAvisli, with a pale yellow 

 fringe ; lialteres orange. 



Lerif/fh, 11-12 mm. 



Described from the ^T/j^t- J from Macassar iji tlie British 

 Museum, and t\\o cJ d from Abu, Eajputiina (Ool. Nurse), in 

 good condition. Tigridiamyia pictipes, -Big., and Polydontomyia 

 orientalis, Brun., are synouymous. 



I'his is a very well-marked though not conspicuous species, 

 easily recognised from all others by the two transverse black 

 bnnds on each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th abdominal segments, in 

 conjunction with the strongly incrassated hind femora with a 

 large yellow tooth helow at the base, the unstriped tliora-\ and 

 tlie nearly clear wings. It is somewhat Eristolis-W^e in general 

 appeai-ance. I have closely compared side by side the types of 

 Walker's M. interveniens, Bigot's T. pictipes and my P. orientalis, 

 and find them identical (all males) ; two other S 6 are also before 

 me, collected by Cul. Nurse at Abu. " Polydonta orientalis'' was 

 a manuscript name of Bigot's for a single specimen in the Indian 

 Museum, and I described the insect as new without sufficient 

 examination as to its validity. That description deals with the 

 legs in greater detail, and maybe used to advantage in conjunction 

 ■H'ith the present fuller one, as the specimen described shows a 

 few variations from the typical form. Polydontomyia, Will, (of 

 which Polydonta and IViodonta are two jireoccujjied synonyms) 

 is a good genus, and quite distinct from Merodon by the eyes in 

 the S being wide apart (4- or 1 of the full width of the head in 

 the type-species, ciirvipes, Wied.). 



In '^ Polydonta orientalis" of Bigot (which therefore is not a 

 true Polydontomyia at all), and in that author's Tigridiamyia 

 p)ictipes, the eves are actually contiguous, though for a very short 

 space only. Willistou (Man. N. Amer. Dipt., 3rd ed., p. 258) 

 has suggested that both Polydontomyia and Tencliocnemis be 

 merged in Pterallastes. 



108. Merodon tuberculatus, Brun. (PI. V, fig. 9.) 



HelopMbis tuberculatus, Brunetti, Rec. Ind. Mus. ii, p. 67 (1908) ; 

 i, pi. xii, figs. 16, abdomen, 17, middle leg (1907). 



S ? . Head : epistome normally produced. Frous black, 

 shining just above antennae, dull in the § from tlience to vertex. 

 Eyes contiguous ( J ) at base of supra-antennal triangle, diverging 

 gently to the vertex. Frons in $ moderately wide, narrower 

 above ; face below antennae blackish or reddisli, with grey or 

 yellow hair, antennae ferruginous-brown to black ; 3rd joint 

 sometimes quite greyish ; first two joints with a few black hairs. 

 Prons, vertex and back of head with short, stiff, wholly black hair. 

 Thorax rather elonp-ated, yellowish, with three broad black long 



