MICKODONTIN.E. 307 



Subfamily MICRODONTIN.E. 



Antennae porrect, elongate, 1st joint long, cylindrical, arista 

 dorsal, bare, sub-basal; eyes bare (at least in Microdon), wida 

 apart in both sexes, frons a little wider in 5 : face tlab and broad. 

 IViugs comparatively short, especially in J/icro(^ou ; 3rd vein (iu 

 Micro'lon) emitting the stump of a vein across middle ot" 1st 

 posterior cell ; 4th vein strongly recurrent, closing 1st posterior 

 cell some distance from wing-border ; 5th vein bent upwards at 

 about a right angle, apical portion generally nearly straight 

 (Microdon) ; anterior cross-vein some distance before middle of 

 discal cell. Ler/s generally stout, tarsi generally dilated. 



The above characters are drawn up mainly from Microdon, tlie 

 principal genus. Mixogaster is confined to the New AVorld, with 

 the exception of one species from Australia : my vespifonnis wsi^ 

 wrongly placed in this genus, and a new genus, Faramuvogaster, 

 is defined below, to contain this species. Besides these, only two 

 other genera of the subfamilv are known, and they are recorded 

 onlv from South America ami Australia. 



The genus Microdon constitutes the greater part of this sub- 

 family. Some of its species have a remarkable resemblance to bees 

 of the genus Apis, though the larvoB of those species of which the 

 life-history is known live in ant's' nests. More typical species of 

 Microdoii are broader and more robust, brilliantly coloured, and 

 often metallic. 



The two Oriental genera may be distinguished as follows : — 



First joint of aiitennaj as lony as (<>eiierally 



longer than) ."Jrd; 2nd rather short but 



nlways obvious, sometimes nearly half as 



longas.*3rd; the closed 1st posterior cell 



nearly always with a spin- on front margin. Michodom, .Meig.,p. 007. 

 First joint of antenna? elongate, cylindiical, 



bnt shorter than in Microdon ; 2nd so 



minute as to be easily overlooked ; .'jrd 



much longer than 1st (o to 6 times as long fgen. u., p. 310. 



in the type-species) 1'aijamixogastkr, 



Geiuis MICRODON, Meirj.* 



Microdon, Meigen, Iliig. Mag. ii, p. 275 (1803). 

 A'jfiriti.". I.atreille, Hist. Nat. Crust. Ins. xiv, p. 3o8 (1804). 

 i'hiimophila, Mucquin-t, Hist. Nat. Ins., Dipt, i, p. 485 (1834). 

 Diiiu'rnsj)is, Newman, Fnt. Map:, v, p. 372 ,1838). 

 .Ursofdiiln, Wallver, I.i>t Dipt. Hrit. .AIus. iv, p. ll.-)7 (1840). 

 U/,risfa.<, WaUo-r. Ins. Satmd., Dipt, i, j). 217 (18r)2). 

 Omet/asi/rp/ius, Giglio-Tos, Boll. .Mu-<. Zool. e Anat. conip. Tnrinn, vi, 

 no. 108, p. 4 (18J)1). 



Gexoxvi'i;. Musca mntabUis, L., by original designation. 



* For a li.st of tlio Oriental spocies, see Brunelti. Rcc. Ind. Miis. ii, ]}. 94 

 <19()8): also do Meijcre, Tijd. v. Eat. Ii, pp. I'J'J, 200, notes and a lable of 

 14 species (1908). 



.\2 



