28 H. C. EFFLATOUN. 



2. spii i;iîoi>iioKiA Sr.-FAIU;. U SERV. 



St.-Fargeau & Audinet-Serville, Eneyel. Mcthod. X. 513 (1825). 



SYNOXYMY:— Mplit/ireptus L\v. Prograinni. Poseii, 27 et 

 Isis, VIII. 577. (1840). 



Melitrophus Walk., Ins. Britann., Uipt., III. XXI. (185G). 



Faii'ly long, narrow bodied, small or rather small flies with 

 bri niant yellow niarkings, which are almost as extensive as the 

 black ground colour. The nienibers of this genus are closely allied 

 and resemble those of the genus Syryhus, but they may easily be 

 recognised by the large number of abdominal segments (except in 

 the allied genus Xanthogramma), as there are five quite distinct 

 segments in the maie, before the very large genitalia and often six 

 or seven are visible in the female before the oviiDOsitoi'. 



The head is of the ordinary Syrphus tyi>8, except that it is 

 niuch more protruding below. at the mouth, always mainly and 

 conspicuously yellow, and the hollovv below the antennac is much 

 less pronounced. Eyes quite bare. Antennae very simple, with a 

 bare, normal and rather short arista. 



Thorax blaekish with the sidc margins more or less conspicu- 

 ously yellow or orange, at least from the humeri to the suture and 

 then on the postalar calli; the pleurae are yellow on ail the meso- 

 pleurae, ))teropleurae, metapleurae, and tlie upper part of the 

 sternopleurae, as well as the prothorax; scutellum always con- 

 spicuously yellow. Thèse charactcrs also show that XantJio- 

 gramma is the ncarest ally. 



Abdomen rather long and narrow, (especially in S.scripta) 

 witli yellow or orange markings, which are somewhat peculiar to 

 the genus, and with remarkably clubbed maie genitalia. I agrée with 

 Professor J^ezzi's oi)inion that thèse require spécial attention and 

 study in the future, as they proba])ly rcprescnt more substantial 

 spécifie différences than the yellow markings on the abdomen, 

 colour of legs etc. which are liable to great local variation and up 

 till now hav.^ constituted the most valid différences between many 

 species. 



Legs very simple, yellow and without anv unnsnal shajie or 

 any very coiispiciious pubescenco. Wing venation veiT siniilar to 



