AMERICAN DIPTEKA. 385 



PSYLLOMY1A Loew. 

 1857. Loew, Wien. Ent. Monatsschr. Figs. 

 1901. Brues, American Naturalist. 1901, p. 343. Fig. 

 1901. Wasmann, Zool. Jahrb. Abth. f. Syst., 1901. 

 1901. Becker, Monograph Phoncke, 87. 



Hear! swollen, lentiform, completely chitinized. Eyes extremely 

 small, on the sides of the head. Ocelli absent. Antenna? of medium 

 size, arista pubescent. Palpi projecting, not very stout, bristly along 

 the lower edge and at the tip. Proboscis very long, twice as long as 

 the head height and geniculate. Thorax rounded, with bristles along 

 the sides but without any dorsocentral or scutellar bristles. Abdomen 

 and legs as in Phora, the latter very bare, only at the tips of the four 

 posterior tibiae with small short bristles. Wings abbreviated, leathery, 

 resting upon the dorsum of the abdomen, a little longer than the tho- 

 rax ; with indications of three very thick, rib like longitudinal veins, 

 which are beset with small black bristles, some of which are notice- 

 able because of their much greater length. Halteres almost rudi- 

 mentary. 



This was the first of the genera to be described which has reduced 

 wings in the female sex. It is represented by the single species 

 P. testaeea Lw. from South Africa. It lives as a guest in the nests 

 of the ant Dorylus. 



CONiUOPTERA Brues. 

 Brues, American Naturalist, 1901, p. 344. 



Female. Small and rather stout species with reduced wings. 

 Head with very large but rather shallow antenna! cavities. Eyes 

 small, about half as large as in Phora; ocelli absent. Antennas 

 rounded, a little pointed at the tip where an apical arista is in- 

 serted. Front short and broad, anterior frontal bristles porrect ; 

 besides these the front has only a single ocellar row of four bristles. 

 Thorax about square; scutellum present, with two bristles, dorso- 

 ceutrals wanting. Wings short, less than twice as long as the thorax, 

 with long costal bristles; costa reaching to wing tip, where it meets 

 the simple third vein. Abdomen entirely membranous except for 

 four small dorsal plates, the last of which contains the opening of a 

 gland. Legs moderate. 



The only described species of this genus occurs in Texas in the 

 nests of the common " Fire Ant," Solenopsis geminata Fabr. 



The male sex is unknown. 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC. XXIX. (49) DECEMBER, 1903 



