86 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



large species of Oxycera allied to pulchella in the Entomological 

 Club collection, but it is not dives, and as it has no history 

 attached, it would be unsafe to infer the specimen is British. 



5. Stratiomyia, Geof. (1784), Ins. ed. Fery. 

 = Thyreodontha, Rond. ; Odontomyia, Lat. ; 

 HiRTEA, Scop. ; MuscA, L. 



A. Abdomen without spots or bands. Thorax with ferruginous hair 



longicorma. 

 AA. Abdomen with yellow spots or bands. Thorax with grey hair. 



B. Abdomen with 3 distinct pairs of spots ; no bands. 



C. Belly black. 



D. Four yellow stripes on belly. Abdominal spots yellow. - furcata. 

 DD. Three yellow stripes on belly. Abdominal spots whitish. - riparia. 



CC. Belly yellow, with 3 irregular black bands. - - - chamceleon. 

 BB. Abdomen with 1 pair of spots and 2 bands, the first interrupted in male. 



potamida. 



The larva of Stratiomyia seems to frequent unusual localities, 

 as one has been found in a hot spring in Colorado, and another in 

 sea water. It appears also very tenacious of life, as a correspon- 

 dent of the ' Entomologist,' vol. xiii., records one having lived for 

 three months in sand without any moisture to sustain life, and on 

 being placed in water soon recovered its ordinary activity. 



1. S. longicornis, Scop. (17 63), Ent. Carn. 999. = strigata, 

 thoracica, F. ; villosa, nubeculosa, Mg. — A somewhat variable and 

 uncommon species. The ferruginous colour of the pubescence on 

 the thorax is much more pronounced in the male. I have seen it 

 from Acton, Lewes, Colchester and Hastings. In the species of 

 this genus, except potamida, males are smaller than the females. 



2. S. riparia, Mg. (1822), Sys. Bes. iii. 138. = strigata, Mg. — 

 A much rarer species than the latter, and allied to both that 

 species and furcata. Seaford. The female of this and the next 

 species has bare eyes, and were it not for this, Rondani's genus, 

 Thyreodontha, would stand good for those species of Stratiomyia 

 with pubescent eyes. 



3. S. furcata, F. (1792), Ent. Sys. iv. 264. = chamceleon, L. ; 

 panthaleon, Fall.; singularis, Harris. — Rather common, generally 

 distributed. Closely allied to the preceding species. 



4. S. chamceleon, De G. (1752), Ins. vi. 64. = aquatica, 

 Frisch. ; sellata, Sulzer ; nigrodentata, Mg. ; larva, Walk., Ins. 

 Brit. Dip, i. 14. — Walker illustrates and describes potamida as 

 chamceleon, and erroneously gives the former as a synonym. 

 Swaramerdam first described the larva. In the British Museum 

 collection is a variet}' with the first two antennal joints tawny. 

 Rather common, but less so t\va.n furcata. Generally distributed. 



5. S. potamida, Mg. (1822), Sys. Bes, iii. 136. = chamceleon, 

 Walk. — Commoner than the preceding. Widely distributed. All 

 the species of this genus, except riparia, occur around London. 



(To be concluded.) 



