60 Orthorrhapha brachycera. 



Venter greyish brown. Abdomen clothed with short, yellowish, in the 



middle line blackish, hairs ; at the hind margins of the segments there 



are long, yellow bristles which are longest on the anterior segments 



and towards the sides. Venter sparingly clothed with long, pale hairs. 



Genitaha black, the lower forceps greyish at the base, the ventral 



lamella greyish as the foregoing segments; the hairs 



black above, yellowish below and at the apex. The 



upper forceps with a large excision above. Legs 



black ; coxæ grey with long, greyish white hairs, and 



with stronger bristles; the legs for the rest clothed 



with short, depressed, greyish hairs so that they 



appear grey; on the tarsi the hairs sometimes partly 



blackish. Only some few long hairs on the ventral 



side of the front feraora and tibiæ. The front femora 



without spine-like bristles below, three or four above; 



the posterior femora with some few; the tibiæ with 



p- 22 some long spine-like bristles; these bristles are very 



rh. albiceps, varying ia colour, they are generally white with 



male forceps, exception of most of those on the dorsal side of the 



from above. front tibiæ and often some towards the apex of the 



posterior tibiæ which are black. The spine-like bristles on the tarsi 



mainly black, yet also some white posteriorly on the anterior tarsi. 



Wings yellowish, veins brown. Halteres yellow. 



Female. With exception of the genital differences agreeing with 

 the male; the ovipositor shining black. 

 Length 13—20 mm. 



This species is easily known by the small epistomal callus, the 

 somewhat slight hairiness, the slender, strongly excised forceps and 

 the characteristic female ovipositor. 



P. albiceps is common in Denmark in suitable localities; Vedbæk, 

 Tisvilde, Jægerspris; on Funen at Lundeborg on the eastern coast 

 and at Faaborg; in Jutland at Frijsenborg, Silkeborg, Søndervig, Løn- 

 strup, Frederikshavn, Skagen and on Læsø; fmally on Bornholm at 

 Hasle and Rønne. My dates are "h—^/s. It occurs in sandy localities 

 especially at the shore and in downs, as seen from the list of localities, 

 and often in great numbers, but also on sandy piaces in woods, and 

 it is generally found sitting on the sand. Poulton 1. c. records from 

 England as prey for this species: a Muscid {Lucilia or Euphoria), 

 Hyetodesia signata Meig., Fucellia maritima Halid. and Syrphus ribesii L. 

 On the shore I think Fucellia and Scatophagids are especially its prey. 

 Geographical distribution: — Most parts of Europe down into France; 

 towards the north to middle Scandinavia; and in Siberia and Japan. 



