226 Fiftieth Report on the State Museum 



shorter; fourth slender, almost linear and equal in length to the second; 

 each with a few scattering long setae and numerous small ones having a 

 more or less verticillate arrangement. 



Thorax with a few longer setse and a number of shorter ones which 

 show traces of being arranged in three longitudinal rows on the scutum 

 of the mesothorax. 



Wings: subcosta (ist longitudinal) short; first branch of radius (2nd 

 longitudinal) joined to the second branch (3d longitudinal) at two-thirds 

 its length by the short cross-vein and uniting with costa about the 

 middle of the wing, some little distance before the fork of media (4th 

 and 5th longitudinals). Second branch of media (5th longitudinal) 

 nearer the apex of the wing than the tip of the second branch of radius. 

 The distance between the two branches of cubitus (6ih and 7th longi- 

 tudinals) along the margin of the wing is greater than between the second 

 branch of media and the first branch of cubitus. The anal vein (8th 

 longitudinal) about half the length of the second branch of cubitus 

 (PI. VI, figs. 5. 6). 



Fore coxa a little over half the length of either femur or tibia ; tarsi 

 one-fourth longer than tibia, first tarsal segment shorter than the remain- 

 ing four; segments of the middle pair of legs a little longer than in the 

 first, those of the posterior pair still longer, the first tarsal segment nearly 

 equal to the remaining ones. 



Abdomen of both sexes sparsely clothed with fine setae. The female 

 abdomen enlarges gradually to the fourth segment and then tapers to 

 the slender ovipositor. Terminal portion of the genital plate elliptical. 



Abdomen of the male nearly cylindrical. Terminal segment some- 

 what enlarged ; claspers curved, each armed with an apical curved spine 

 and with numerous stout ones along the inner margin. Near the basal 

 third of the clasper there is a very long seta on its inner margin, extend- 

 ing nearly to the median line. There are also a pair of long stout setae, 

 a dorsal and a ventral one, at the base of each clasper (PI. VI, fig. 10). 



Length: Male, body, 2.5 mm., wing, 2.25 mm. ; female, body, 3 mm., 

 wing, 2.5 mm. 



The following species was quite common in the greenhouse of Mr. J. 

 A. Otterson, Berlin, Mass., and in others in the vicinity. During the 

 winter the flies were more or less abundant, and their larvae could be 

 found in the soil. Under the influence of the higher temperature of the 

 early spring the flies became very abundant. As giving an idea of their 

 prolificacy, it may be interesting to note that over 625 eggs were found 

 in the distended abdomen of a female. In this dissection no count was 

 made of a number (estimated at approximately 200) of what appeared 

 to be partly developed eggs. This species, described below, is closely 

 related to Sciara obscura Winnertz. 



SciARA PROLIFICA n. sp. Female. Head and thorax dull black ; 

 abdomen brownish black, posterior margins of 4th to 6th segments, 

 occasionally others, bordered with yellovyish white; ventrally the abdo- 

 men is lighter and frequently its yellowish contents show through the 

 distended lateral membranes. Antennae and palpi nearly black, the 

 former with a short whitish pubescence. Wings somewhat iridescent, 



