28 H. C. EFFLATOUN. 



2. simlkropiiohia St.-FARG. & SERV. 



St.-Fargeau & Audinet-Seryille, Encycl. Method. X. 513 (1825). 



SYNONYMY: — Melithreptus Lw. Programm. Posen, 27 et 

 Isis, VIII. 577. (1840). 



Melitrophus Walk., Ins. Britann., Dipt., III. XXI. (1856). 



Fairly long, narrow bodied, small or rather small flies with 

 brilliant yellow markings, which are almost as extensive as the 

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

 and resemble those of the genus Syrphus, 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 male, before the very large genitalia and often six 

 or seven are visible in the female before the ovipositor. 



The head is of the ordinary Syr pints type, except that it is 

 much more protruding below, at the mouth, always mainly and 

 conspicuously yellow, and the hollow below the antennae is much 

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

 bare, normal and rather short arista. 



Thorax blackish with the side margins more or less conspicu- 

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

 then on the postalar ealli; the pleurae are yellow on all the meso- 

 pleurae, pteropleurae, metapleurae, and the upper part of the 

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

 spicuously yellow. These characters also show that Xantho- 

 gramma is the nearest ally. 



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

 with yellow or orange markings, which are somewhat peculiar to 

 the genus, and with remarkably clubbed male genitalia. I agree with 

 Professor Bezzi's opinion that these require special attention and 

 study in the future, as they probably represent more substantial 

 specific differences than the yellow markings on the abdomen, 

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

 till now have constituted the most valid differences between many 

 species. 



Legs very simple, yellow and without any unusual shape or 

 any very conspicuous pubescence. Wing venation very similar to 



