386 CHARLES T. BRUES. 



Commoptera solenopsidis Brues. 

 Brues, American Naturalist, 1901, 344. 

 Female. Length 1.5 mm. Pale yellow, head somewhat darker, and abdomen 

 a little lighter. 



PLATYI'HORA Verrall. 



Verrall, Journal Linn. Soc, vol. xiii, 1877, p. 259. 

 Becker, Monog. Phoridse, p. 88. 



Body broad and much flattened, without any macrochaetae. Thorax 

 transverse, abdomen small, third vein simple, costa weakly ciliated at 

 the base. 



Broad, flat, shining, frons very broad, the eyes scarcely occupy- 

 ing one sixth the width of the head. Antennae with the third joint 

 rather large, somewhat rounded. Thorax broad, flat, rather broader 

 than the head. Scutellum margined, nearly four times as wide as 

 long. Abdomen narrower and shorter than the thorax. Legs 

 stoutish, middle tibiae with two small spines at the tip. First vein 

 ending just before the third which is not furcate. 



(Condensed from the original description.) 



This genus is represented by a single species, P. lubboclci Verrall, 

 from England. As has been pointed out by Verrall, it is readily sepa- 

 rated from all the other known genera of the family by the lack of 

 bristles on the body, simple third vein and greatly flattened body. It 

 has been suggested that this may be the male sex of the genus JEnig- 

 matias Mien., of which only the wingless female has been described. 

 This is only a supposition, however. 



i:\l<;ilAIHS Meinert. 



Meinert, Entom, Meddel, 189(X 

 Becker, Monog. Phoridse, 1901. 

 Brues, Amer. Naturalist, 1901. 

 Coquillett, Canad. Entom., Jan. 1903. 



Head large and free. Antennae and mouthparts of the usual 

 type. Thorax not divided, first segment of the abdomen fused with 

 the second ; the following segments free, imbricate. Wings and 

 hal teres absent. Abdomen composed of four or five free segments. 

 Legs slender, claws delicate as in other Phoridse. Antennae short, 

 spherical, with a very long bare arista, which is obscurely two- 

 jointed at the base. Palpi slightly clavate, bristly. Proboscis very 

 small, the labellae not distinct. Anterior femora very large, posterior 

 o nes conical. Abdomen compressed, brown or fusco-piceous, covered 



