284 



F. W. EDWARDS. 



abdominal segments with long, lateral plumose hairs. Comb of eighth segment a 

 row of stout spines, sometimes attached to a plate. Anal plate bears a comb of a 

 few short spines. Siphon moderate, with sparse latero- ventral pecten and numerous 

 hair-tufts or single hairs. Pupal paddles small, somewhat pointed, without fringe 

 or terminal hair. Habitat : pitcher plants, bamboos, etc. 



The genus is characteristic of the Oriental and Australasian regions, one species 

 occurring in Japan. 



Fig. 4. Male hypopygium of Rachiouotomyia bambusa, Yam. : a, ventral view, x75 ; b, lateral 

 view, x75 ; c, aedoeagus, ventral view, x225. 



Rachionotomyia bambusa, Yamada (fig. 4). 



Rachionotomyia bambusa, Yamada, Dobutz. Z. Tokio, xxix, pp. 61-72 (1917). 



This belongs to the rather numerous group of species with metallic silver}/ markings 

 on the pleura and abdomen, and silvery spots on the femora. The chief diagnostic 

 characters are as follows : — Head with a broad blue band in front. Prothoracic 

 lobes with black scales. Pro-epimera with a few narrow black scales and one bristle. 

 Mesonotum almost entirely dark brown, with long, straight, very narrow greenish- 

 black scales. Scutellar scales broad, greenish black. Integument of pleurae 

 mainly dark brown. Larger claw of front legs of male thick, with a pointed swelling, 

 scarcely a tooth, beyond the middle. Lobes of ninth tergite of male each with about 

 nine long, rather stout bristles. 



I have not seen Yamada's description of the larva, and have had no specimens 

 for examination. 



Distribution. — Japan (Tokio, S. Yamada ; Kofou, L. Drouard de Lezey). 



Genus Megarhinus, R.D. 



I now feel strongly inclined to accept the view of Howard, Dyar and Knab that 

 Toxoyhynchites should not be separated from Megarhinus, except as a rather 

 weakly-marked subgenus. There are no important structural differences whatever, 

 Toxorhynchites differing only in the shorter female palpi. 



As Banks has pointed out, the labium in this genus is a rigid organ, and the 

 structure of its apical part is apparently such as to prevent the possibility of the 

 mouth-parts being used for sucking blood. 



The pleural bristles in this genus are remarkable ; there appear to be no true 

 pro-epimeral bristles, but, on the other hand, a row of strong spiracular bristles is 

 developed ; there are no post-spiracular bristles, and the only bristles on the pro- 

 thoracic lobes are a few which point forwards or downwards. There are only two 

 pairs of ocular bristles instead of the usual row. The reduction of the mesonotal 

 bristles has been remarked on by previous writers. 



