908 Charles Paul Alexander 



crane-fly fauna, appearing on the wing ih March. It is seen most 

 commonly in spring and autumn, and is less numerous in July. It is 

 presumably double-brooded. 



Genus Erioptera Meigen 



ISOO Poh/meda Meig. Nouv. Class. Mouch., p. 14 (nomen nudum). 



1S03 Erioptera Meig. Illiger's Mag., vol. 2, p. 262. 



1856 Chemalida Rond. Prodromus, vol. 1, p. 180. 



18.'i6 Limnaea Rond. Prodromus, vol. 1, p. 181. 



1861 Limnoica Rond. Prodromus, vol. 4, Corrigenda, p. 11. 



The rather extensive genus Erioptera includes about ninety described 

 species, most numerous in the Northern Hemisphere. The immature 

 stages of the known species are spent in damp earth. The local species 

 are distributed in five subgenera, separated by the following key: 



1. Second anal vein arcuated so that cell 1st A is as broad at the middle as, or broader than, 



at the margin; cross- vein m absent, cell 1st M2 opening into cell M2 Erioptera Meig. 



Anal veins divergent, cell 1st A being broadest at the margin; cell 1st Mi closed, if open 

 the outer deflection of Ms lacking, cell 1st Mi. opening into cell Ms (except in 

 Empeda) 2 



2. Fork of cell Ri short, about as long as its petiole (ffa+s); Sc\ short Empeda O. S. 



Fork of cell Rt long, at least four times as long as its petiole (fl.+s); Sci longer 3 



3. Cell 1st Ml open, the outer deflection of Ms atrophied; if closed, the cross-vein m and the 



deflection of Ms about on a line Mesocyphona O. S. 



Cell 1st M2 closed 4 



4. A spur from the outer deflection of Ms jutting into cell 1st M2 Hoplolabis 0. S. 



No spur from Ms jutting into cell 1st M2 Acyphona O. S. 



The following key divides the local species of Erioptera: 



1. Cell 1st Mi open by the atrophy of the outer deflection of Ms. (Subgenus 



Mesocyphonn.) 2 



Cell 1st Mi closed; if open, it is by the atrophy of the medial cross- vein 4 



2. Wings pale gray, with small brown dots at the tips of the veins along the margins. [Proc. 



Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 227. 1859.] (Plate XXXV, 79.) E. parva O. S. 



Wings grayish or brown, with white dots and spots 3 



3. Wings with abundant white dots in all the cells; each femur with two brown rings. 



[Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., vol. 3, p. 17. 1823.] (Plate XXXV, 77.) 



E. caloptera Say 



Wings with about twenty large spots that are confined to the region of the veins; each 



femur with a single brown ring before the tip. [Can. Ent., vol. 50, p. 383-384. 1918.] 



(Plate XXXV, 78.) E. needhami Alex. 



4. Cell 1st Ml open by the atrophy of m; second anal vein arcuated, before its tip bent 



strongly toward the first so that cell 1st A at its middle is about as bi'oad as or broader 



than at the margin. (Subgenus Erioptera.) (See also E. [Empeda] stigmatica, below.) .5 



Cell 1st M-> closed; anal veins divergent 10 



5. Knobs of the halteres dark brown. [Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 226. 1859.] 



(Plate XXXV, 72.) E. septemtrionis O. S. 



Knobs of the halteres pale 6 



