AMERICAN DIPTERA. 375 



JVIelaloncha pulchella sp. nov. (Plate ix, fig. 60.) 

 %, 9- Length 2 mm., of wing the same. Head deep orange, macrochsetge 

 and interoeellar space black. Front shining, highly polished. Antennae and 

 palpi lighter yellow, especially the palpi ; arista piceous, swollen at base, finely 

 pubescent. Palpi with very delicate bristles. Dorsum of thorax piceous black 

 in the male, brownish yellow in the female. Pleurae black in the male, with a 

 large yelTow mark just below the humeri ; in the female wholly yellow. Tho- 

 rax with one pair of dorsocentral macrochfetse and two marginal scutellar bris- 

 tles. Abdomen of male black, in certain lights with a very fine bluish iridescence 

 in bands anteriorly on the segments; female abdomen black, with yellow hands 

 anteriorly on each segment, the yellow being piuiuose with bluish white, as in 

 the male. Sixth segment twice as long as the others ; ovipositor narrow, black, 

 polished and pointed ; as long as the rest of the abdomen. Seen from the side, 

 it is slightly arcuate downward ; from above it is asymetrical, being bent toward 

 the left just beyond the middle. Legs yellow, except the hind tibise and apical 

 part of hind femora in the male. Posterior tibiae fringed above in both sexes 

 with a series of very large bristles, which are longest apically. Wings distinctly 

 brownish ; nervures piceous, costal vein reaching to the middle of the wing, its 

 bristles extremely minute. First vein ending a little nearer to the third than to 

 the humeral cross-vein ; veins four to seven strong, but little curved. Halteres 

 yellow. 



Described from a single male and female from Songo, Bolivia, 

 South America (Kertesz). 



This peculiar form is represented in the collection by a pair of 

 specimens ( & , 9 ), which were very kindly sent by Dr. Kertesz. Its 

 general appearance recalls at once the genus Apocephalus ; but it is 

 seen to differ from the latter by the shape of the front, the simple 

 third vein, and form of wings and bristles on hind tibise. So simi- 

 lar are the antennae and ovipositor in the two genera that one can 

 almost predict that its habits will be found to resemble closely 

 those of Apocephalus pergandei. 



I have seen only the description of the European Phora formi- 

 carum Verrall, but it evidently has some affinities with the present 

 species. There are so many differences, however, that a comparison 

 only could determine their generic relations. 



The Phora stylata of Schiner (Novara Reise, Dipt. 224), from the 

 description, is evidently very closely allied to this species, and I do 

 not hesitate in placing it here. It differs from 31. pulchella in color 

 and in the form of the ovipositor, which is provided with two points 

 at the apex instead of one, as in pulchella. 



TKIXHIRA. 



Meigeu, Illiger's Mag., ii, 276 (1803). 

 Meigen. Klassif., 312 (1804). 



TRANS. AM. F.NT. SOC. XXIX. DECEMBER, 1903 



