PHY POMIA. 79 
A female from the E. side of edge of foot of Aberdare Mountains, 
7,300 ft., British East Africa, 24.11.1911 (7. J. Anderson), and 
another from Mt. Kenia, W. side, Meru-Nyeri Road, 6,500 {t., 
20. 11.1911 (S. A. Neave). 
Other specimens belong to a variety which I call 
Var. melas, var. n. 
Distinguished by the entirely black abdomen, and agreeing with 
the type in other r respects. 
Type 2, an additional specimen, and ancther female from same 
localities and collectors as the typical series. 
72. Phytomia ephippium, Bezzi. 
Very like the melas variety of fronto, but distinguished by 
the peculiar conformation of the second abdominal segment. 
Already diagnosed by me in Ann. Mus. Civ. Genova, (3) v. 1912, 
p- 424. 
I introduce this form as a new species with considerable hesita- 
tion, because 1t may weil be that the type is merely an aberrant 
variety of fronto; but the singular conformation of the second 
abdominal segment appears to be so re gular that it may be 
normal, 
Head as in fronto; the long and dense frontal hairs are mostly 
black; the eyes seem to have four transverse dark bands as in the 
preceding species; the frontal wrinkled area is black, as is the 
whole of the face. Thorax and scutellum also black, but the scu- 
tellum is more yellowish along the hind border, and the hairs on 
its base are black. First abdominal segment normal; second con- 
sisting of two transverse ovate lappets, the inner extremities of 
which nearly meet in the middle line, and each of which shows 
posteriorly a broad depression followed by a flattened margin. It 
looks as though there were two segments abnormally fused tog ether; 
the number of the abdominal segments i 1s, however, aomnelD All 
other details as in fronto melas. 
Type Q, a single specimen from British East Africa, 5 miles 
inside Kenia Forest, near Luchi River, 9. 1. 1911 (7. J. Anderson). 
73. Phytomia (Simoides) villipes, Loew (1858). 
Very like fronto, but easily distinguished by its shortened hind 
tarsi and narrower face, which is yellowish with a black median 
stripe. 
This species, the type of which was collected in Nubia, was 
described by Loew as belonging to the genus Simocdes; the male, 
however, is as yet unknown. I place ib in Phytomia on account 
of the very broad frons of the female, which is very like that of 
Jronto and allied species, and on account of the wings showing no 
trace of the apical pubescence so characteristic of the typical species 
of Stmotdes. 
