264 



STEPHID.'E. 



Head semicircular, broader than tliorax ; ej^es bare, contiguous 

 for a sbort distance in c5' , wider apart iu $ ; face hollowed below 

 antennse, slightly produced over upper mouth-edge, truncate ; pro- 

 boscis usually rather prominent, palpi extremely small ; antenufe 

 moderately long, porrect, placed on a distinct prominence ; arista 

 bare. Thorax large and robust, oblong, generally with yellow 

 markings ; scutellum pellucid. Abdomen twice as long and about 

 as M'ide as thorax ; only slightly arched, with yellow markings, 

 generally cross-bands. Legs strong; hind femora lengthened, 

 with a tooth-like process towards tip on under side. Wings 



Fig. 51. — MUesia sexinaculata, Brun., i^ . 



narrow, with the unusual chai-acter in this subfamily of possess- 

 ing a closed marginal cell ; anterior cross-vein very oblique, placed 

 far beyond middle of discal cell ; 3rd vein with a distinct, though 

 generally shallow, loop into the 1st posterior cell; outer sides of 

 1st posterior and discal cells almost in a continuous slightly curved 

 line ; anal vein almost recurrent. 



Life-history apparently unknown. 



Range. Europe, Asia, Africa, Orient, North America, Brazil. 



The home of this magnificent genus seems to be South Asia 

 and the East Indian Islands. A few notes on some of the 

 Oriental species were given by me in Eec. Ind. Mus. xi, p. 248 

 (1915). 



Table of Species. 



1. Abdomen with distinct pairs of spots; with or 



without additional transverse hands 2. 



Abdomen with transverse pale bands only ; 

 never with pairs of spots 4. 



2. Abdomen with three pairs of clear-cut yellow [p. 265. 



spots; no other abdominal markings se.vinacttlata, Erun., 



Abdomen with other yellow markinjrs iu addi- 

 tion to three distinct pairs of spots 3. 



