114 H. C. EFFLATOUN. 



Abdomen eiitirely black and possessing a fine grey pulveru- 

 lence whieh is darker in two rounded aeas, one on each side of the 

 médian line in the second, third and fourth segments respectively ; 

 in other words the abdomen is entirely grey except for two large 

 rounded spots on each of the three apical segments ; very of ten how- 

 ever thèse spots arc absent and the abdomen is entirely grey to dark 

 brownish-grey. The pubescence is pale and longer as usual than on 

 the thorax, espeeially on the lower and latéral margins of the seg- 

 ments; in addition there are some fairly short black bristles at the 

 tip; maie hypopygium very dark reddish-brown but reddish-yellow 

 at the extrême tip ; ovipositor shining black, as long as the two apical 

 abdominal segments togc-ther and possessing a very délicate and in- 

 conspicuous dark greyish pubescence. 



Legs with ail the femora blackish except on the apical third 

 reddish-yellow and the tibiae and tarsi reddish-yellow; the blackish 

 colour is often however, more extensive on the femora ; the pubescence 

 is uniformly dark brown to blackish ail over. 



Wings very similar to those of the preceding species but the 

 base of Ist M2 cell is dark instead of being hyaline and the hyaline 

 spots are disposed as follows : 2 large spots in RI cell, one small 

 near the base and one near the apex; 5 to 6 spots in R3 cell, the two 

 or four of which,in the basai third are very small and the three others 

 much larger ; 2 médium sized spots in the apical half of R cell ; only 

 6 spots in R5 cell, the basai one being the largest and the 5 apical 

 ones of almost equal size; 4 spots in Ist M2 cell, two of which are 

 larger than the others; 2nd M2 with 4 hyaline spots, three of which 

 run together and the fourth isolated, near the ti^) and touching the 

 lower margin; the spots in Cul cell ail run together except for a 

 small spot below the médian cross-vein on the lower wing margin, 

 thus rendering this cell hyaline except for two or three brownish 

 indentations and one spot covering the inferior angle of Cu cell ; the 

 wing base is hyaline except for an o))lique dark brown spot covering 

 the humerai cross-vein and the base of 2nd C. cell, a quadrate, dark 

 brown spot in the m.iddle of the same cell, one over the bases of RI. 

 R2 + 3 and R4-I-5 and one small spot near the latter, in the basai 

 third of R cell; médian cross-vein not straight. 



Squamulae pale yellow; haltères reddish-yellow. 



This s])ecies is extremely variable and Loew had attempted to 

 describe .some of the chief varieties but he found it an almost im- 

 possible task, owing to the lack of clear distinctnoss between the 

 forms and the variation in the colour of the legs, the spots of the 

 wings, etc., in almost every individual. 



Frauenfeld states that he has bred the adult of this species 

 from the flower-heads of Taraxacum officinale in Europe but Loew 



