LIST OF THE BRITISH STRATIOMYID^. 85 



Mr. Verrall includes it in his list, and Mr. Dale records it from 

 Dorsetshire. It is certainly a rare species. 



6. 0. formosa, Mg. (1822), Sys. Bes. iii. 127. =^ nigricornis, 

 Enc. meth. ; muscaria, Mg. — Rather uncommon. From the 

 South Coast and Dorsetshire. 



7. O. pi/gm<2a, Fall. (1817), Strat. ii. = affinis, Curt. ; mus- 

 caria, Wlk. — In one male and one female in Dr. Mason's 

 collection the whole underside of the abdomen is black, with two 

 or three yellow bands extending across it. Schiner says the 

 scutellum is black, but I find the posterior border more or less 

 yellow, in one specimen in the British Museum it is entirely 

 yellow. Curtis gives this as a synonym of muscaria, Fab., but 

 both are distinct ; the latter, moreover, does not appear to be 

 British. Not uncommon. Mr. Verrall found it abundant once 

 at Tuddenham. 



8. 0. nigripes, Verrall. — I have not seen a specimen of this 

 species, which is new to science, recorded by Mr. Verrall from 

 Scotland, but it seems to fall in this division of the genus. As I 

 do not know the characteristics of this species, it was impossible 

 for me to insert it in my analytical table. 



9. O. pulchella, Mg."(1822), Sys. Bes. iii. 125. = vara, Walk. ; 

 liypoleon, L. — In one specimen in Dr. Meade's collection the 

 whole of the basal half of the abdomen is tawny. In Dr. Mason's 

 collection I found what appears to be an interesting variety, with 

 two triangular yellow spots on the vertex of the head, a yellow 

 edge to the abdomen, and entirely tawny legs, with the exception 

 of black tarsal tips. Rather common. 



10. 0. morrisii, Curt. (1824), Br. Ent. 441.— The female is 

 easily distinguished from the last species by the thorax being 

 unstriped. The male is still unknown. Rather rare but widely 

 distributed, as I have a list of eight well separated localities in 

 England and Ireland. It is much smaller than its congener 

 pulchella. 



It is difficult to determine exactly how many species of 

 Oxycera are really British, as several have been introduced at a 

 time when the genus was less well understood, and in consequence 

 have to be erased from our list. Curtis introduces 0. leonina, Pz., 

 recording one female from Pinny, taken by Mr. Morris, but 

 I cannot trace the specimen. This species is allied to the 

 longicornis group. The abdomen is all black with a single yellow 

 apical spot. Walker introduces muscaria, F., saying it is " not 

 rare in England and Ireland," but I can find no proof of its 

 having been taken here. He also introduces /rtWeui, Staeg., and 

 dives, Lw., as British, the first on the authority of Haliday from 

 Ireland, the latter as being in the Entomological Club collection 

 from England, but I can trace no specimens of either species, 

 both of which are rare on the Continent. There is certainly a 



