24 



HENRY F. CARTER. 



Genus Acanthoconops, nov.* 

 Frons clothed with bristles or spines. Antennae in the female pilose, composed 

 of fourteen segments, the fourth to thirteenth short and broad, subspherical, the 

 fourteenth elongate, subconical. Eyes, palpi, proboscis and wings as in Leptoconops, 

 Sk. [sens.^ lat.). Fore legs relatively short, the fore and hind femora and tibiae 

 strongly incrassate, the middle femora moderately incrassate ; claws equal, each 

 with a tooth arising from the base ; empodium bristle-like. Ovipositor somewhat 

 triangular, very short, considerably broader than long. 



Genotype: A. spinosifrons, sp. nov. 



This genus is very closely allied to Leptoconops {sens, hit.), but may readily be 

 distinguished by the remarkably short ovipositor (fig. 9), and by the vestiture of the 

 head. In Leptoconops {sens. Int.) the whole of the frons {i.e., the wide area extending 

 from the vertex to the clypeus) is bare, or, at most, possesses a single pair of bristles 

 between the eyes, while in Acanthoconops it bears numerous spines or bristles {cf. 

 fig. 1, a and b). Further, in the two species of Acanthoconops at present known the 

 fore legs are noticeably shortened, and the metatarsi of all the legs armed with 

 formidable spines. The ratio of the combined lengths of the femora and tibiae of the 

 fore legs to those of the hind legs is 1 : 1 -5, or but slightly less ; in Leptoconops this 

 ratio is rarely more than 1 : 1 -2, and not infrequently is l" : 1. In this connection it 

 may be of interest to note that, among the members of the latter genus, the ratio 

 given for Acanthoconops is (so far as can be determined from the material available) 

 most nearly approached in the case of L. siamensis, sp. n. In this species, which also 

 possesses powerful spines on the metatarsi, the ratio is almost 1:1-4. 



Fig. 9. Extremity of abdomen of Acanthoconops spinosifrons, sp. n., $, showing lamellae 

 (/) ; side view (x 220 circa). 



Acanthoconops spinosifrons, sp. nov. 



?. — Length of body (two specimens mounted in Canada balsam), 2-3 mm. ; 

 length of wing, 1-2 mm. ; length of antenna, 0-35 mm. ; width of head, 0-32 mm. 



Head dull black, with short, stout, pointed, backwardly directed, tuberculate 

 spines scattered over the occiput and frons, on the lower portion of which they are 

 more numerous ; clypeus shining dark brown, with a group of spines centrally and a 



* UKCivBa spine, and KCovco]p gnat. 



