328 SYRPHID.E. 



Described from one d and several $ § in the Indian Museum 

 from Darjiling District, 1000-3000 ft., May 1912. 



This species is evidently a variable one in several respects. 

 Two c? <S and a $ in the British Museum from Thaungyin, Lower 

 Burma, i.l891, iii. 1890 {Bingham), show variation in the 

 coloration of tlie legs. One c? has the anterior femora bright 

 yellow, the fore pair with a black streak on upper side ; the 

 coloration of the hind pair consists of a large oval yellow spot on 

 outer and inner sides of the basal half (tiiese spots being broadly 

 united above basally), a large similar orange-brown spot on outer 

 and inner sides of apical half (these s])ots joined above apically), 

 while the remaining portion is black. All the tibiae and tarsi, also 

 the whole of the antennae, are orange-brown. The head and body 

 markings are identical with those of tlie typical form. 



Another variety (from the Eunjit Valley, Sikkim, v. 1894 

 (Bim/hmn) ; Himalayas ; Assam ; S. yhan States, 4000 ft., xi. 1899 

 (Bim/ham)), represented by six specimens, including both sexes, 

 presents the following minor differences : — Humeral and sutural 

 yellow spots much smaller, yellow liind margin of scutellum 

 very narrow, legs practically entirely dark brown, spurious vein 

 narrowly but very distinctly iiifuscated, size larger, 13-15 mm. 

 One of these specimens has the hind legs as in the Thaungyin 

 form, with a yellow elongate spot on the basal half of the hinder 

 side of the middle tibiae. There seems no reasonable doubt that 

 all the forms are conspecific. 



254. Ceria brevis, sp. nov. 



§ . Me(ul : frous at vertex fully one-third, below antennae 

 nearly half, width of head; punctate, black. A brownish-yellow 

 round spot on each side of the black lace at level of antennae, 

 touching eye-margin, and a stripe from just below it down each 

 side of face to upper mouth-border ; the space between them at 

 tip shining black, smooth, bare. Antennae and petiole very dark 

 mahogany-brown, 1st joint blackish. Hind part of head below 

 yellow ; occiput black, much produced behind upper margin of 

 eyes, with two conspicuous orange-yellow round spots. Thorax 

 black, closely punctate ; yellow calli on humerus, mesopleura and 

 sternopleura; the barest trace of a spot on either side at extreme 

 end of suture ; a small longitudinal vitta on either side of hind 

 part of dorsum, near \\ ing-base. Scutellum black, hind margin 

 yellow. Abdomen black, closely punctate; 2nd, 3rd and 4th 

 segments with thick orange-broun hind margins bearing 

 microscopic pale pubescence; venter black. Legs hlack ; tips of 

 anterior femora narrowly, base and lip of hind femora more 

 broadly, basal half and tips of tibiae, and tarsi wholly, orange- 

 brown. Pubescence of legs whitish, inconspicuous. Wiiu/s very 

 pale grey ; anterior half dark brown down to spurious vein and 



