44 Psyche [April 



arising as an oblique row, several supraalar, one postalar, four 

 scutellar, about ten dorsocentral and a single median row of 

 acrostichal bristles; pleurae entirely bare. Abdomen cylindrical 

 but curving downward in the male, the hairs of the male long, 

 the eighth segment of the female retracted and blunt, the basal 

 three ventral segments of the male inflated, the sixth and seventh 

 segments forming a stout pedicel to the large globose inflexed 

 hypopygium which bends forward under the abdomen. The 

 hypopygium is bilaterally symmetrical and terminates in a pair 

 of small bristly ovate valves and a subdorsal median prong. 

 Legs rather short, the middle tibiae with an apical flexor bristle, 

 hind femora pectinate above, hind tibiae somewhat compressed 

 clavate, pectinate on the extensor edge, the posterior side tomen- 

 tose like the swollen metatarsus. Wings very broad at the base, 

 the anal angle very full and rectangular, costa abruptly thinned 

 at the end of the first vein, two basal bristles present and also 

 numerous costal setulae but no hairs, auxiliary and first veins 

 strong, the other veins very weak and almost straight and 

 radiating, stigma very prominent and so sharply limited behind 

 as to present an extra vein between the first and second veins, 

 the second vein ending near the tip of the wing, anterior cross- 

 vein wanting, a terminal spur of the anterior fork of the fourth 

 vein present, discal cell open, only a trace of the crossvein at the 

 end of the minute second basal cell, anal cell short and apically 

 acute, alula well developed and margined with long flattened 

 scale-like hairs. Type species, M. stigmaticalis Zetterstedt. 



The genus Microsania includes very small, inconspicuous 

 flies that are rarely observed by the general collector. Because 

 of a superficial resemblance in the open venation to the species 

 of Bicellaria (Cyrtoma) previous authors have been led to locate 

 the genus in the Empididae. A close inspection discloses that 

 the resemblance gives way to far more significant differences, 

 and that Microsania is not an empid but is closely related to 

 Platy enema and Opetia, forming with them a group of the 

 Platypezidae characterized by an open discal cell and by the 

 presence of a distinct humeral bristle. Microsania differs from 

 Platycnema and Opetia in lacking the anterior crossvein and in 



