312 SYEPHIDyE. 



? 5 . Head : frons and face with parallel sides, former slightly 

 narrower than latter, which is one-third of head, both blue-green 

 with a narrow transverse purple line above antennae ; eyes, 

 anteanse and occiput black; head with short brownish-grey 

 pubescence. Thorax blue-green, with violet or purple reflections 

 and short black pubescence: scutellum oblong, concolorous, the 

 hind corners produced as two short blunt teeth. Abdomen 

 coppery, with very short depressed yellow pubescence ; 1st seg- 

 ment deep blue, with whitish pubescence ; venter bright blue, 

 hinder part bright green ; ovipositor long, narrow, yellowish- 

 brown. Legs blue-green, with stiff black pubescence and softer 

 whitish pubescence on some parts ; pulvilli orauge-brown. Wings 

 brownish as far back as 3rd vein, remainder grey ; halteres pale 

 orange. 



Length, 13 mm. 



Described from a perfect 5 from Peshoke Spur, Darjiling 

 District (LisUr), in the Indian Museum ; and a second damaged 

 2 in the British Museum from Sikkim (F. 0. Moller). A 

 brilliantly metallic, punctate species. 



There seems every probability of the above being the $ of 

 stilboide.'', in spite of the conspicuous difference of its coloration 

 from that of the S ; metallic species are prone to this variation. 

 It is a magnificent species, and the only one with an appendix 

 towards the tip of the 4th longitudinal vein included in this 

 volume. Dr. de Meijere recorded a 6 from Java. 



237. Microdon metallicus, de Meij. 



Microdon metallicus, de Meijere, Bijd. Dierk. xviii, p. 98 (1904). 



J . Shining steel-blue ; upper side of thorax more violet ; 

 upper side of body densely punctate. Antennas dull black, 1st 

 joint as long as 2nd and 3rd together, 2nd only a quarter as long 

 as 3rd. Epistonie with dense wjdtish pubescence. Eyes blackish- 

 brown, facets of uniform size. Thorax above with short black 

 pubescence ; scutellum with lighter pubescence, its hind corners 

 produced into two blunt teeth ; spines with white pubescence. 

 Sides of thorax nearly bare. Abdomen with very short dark 

 pubescence ; anterior margins of segments towards sides with 

 white hair-spots ; furthermore, the 3rd and 4th segments have two 

 similar spots near the hind margin, those on the 4th segment 

 larger. Two transverse impressions are found respectively 

 between 3rd and 4th segments, and distinctly before tip of 4th 

 segment. Legs black ; tibiae on outer side with dense short 

 white pubescence. Wings clear. 



Length, 11 mn). ; of wing, 9 mm. 



Described by de Meijere, from Bengal, and stated to be near 

 stilboideSy Walk. ; it differs from that species, inter alia, by having 

 white hair-spots on the abdomen. 



