UNDESCRIBED SPECIES OF PTYCHOPTERA FROM WEST AFRICA. 101 



Aeneiis, antennre nigro-fusc^e, abdomen basi fulvum, pedes fulvi, 

 alfe limpidte. Corpus crassum, latum; caput tborace paullo 

 latius ; antennfe subfiliformes, corporis dimidio longiores ; 

 articuli o^ ad 10 mm. breves, cyathiformes, subrequales ; clava 

 longi-ovata, articulo 10^ angustior et plus duplo longior ; thorax 

 ovatus ; protborax brevissimus ; mesotboraxis parapsidum suturse 

 vix conspicuae ; metatborax brevis ; abdomen rhombiforme, 

 tborace brevius, segmentum 1 mm. maximum ; sequentiabrevis- 

 sima ; alae sat latte ; nervus cubitalis radiali multo brevior. 



" Aeneus ; oculi rufo-picei* ; anteunte nigro-fuscas ; articuli 

 lus et 2us fulvit ; abdomen fulvum, nitens, apice aeneum ; pedes 

 fulvi ; coxae aeneie ; meso- et metatarsi flavi, apice fusci ; alae 

 limpidae ; squamalae et nevoi fulva, stigma obscurius, minutum. 



(Corp. long. lin. 1; alar. lin. Ih) " 



AN UNDESCRIBED SPECIES OF PTYCHOPTERA FROM 

 WEST AFRICA (PTYCHOPTERID.E, DIPTERA). 



By Charles P. Alexander, Ph.D., Urbana, Illinois. 



The very extensive collections of African crane-flies belong- 

 ing to the British Museum (Natural History) were sent to me 

 for study through the kindness of Mr. F. W. Edwards, custodian 

 of the Nematocerous Diptera. A new species of Ptychoptera 

 that is described herewith was included in this material. The 

 crane-flies of this collection will be described and keyed in a 

 monographic revision of the Ethiopian Tipuloidea that the 

 writer has in preparation. I wish to thank Mr. Edwards very 

 sincerely for the privilege of studying this unrivalled collection 

 of tropical African crane-flies. 



Ptychoptera africana, sp. n. 



Antennae with the basal segments yellow, the distal segments 

 dark brown ; head blue-black ; mesonotal prajscutum shiny metallic 

 blue ; pleura light reddish-yellow ; wings with the costal margin, the 

 broad apex and a narrow seam along the cord dark brown ; abdomen 

 shiny black, the tergites with two narrow yellow rings on the third 

 and fourth segments. 



Female. — Length about 9 mm. ; wing, 7-8 mm. 



Rostrum dark brown ; palpi with the basal two segments dull yellow, 

 the terminal segments dark brown. Antennae with the basal segments 

 dull yellow, on the sixth and succeeding segments passing into dai'k 

 brown ; basal half of the second scapal segment dark brown. Head 

 shiny blue-black, the front more opaque, the vertex surrounding the 

 antennal fossse indistinctly reddish. 



Pronotum pale yellow. Mesonotal praescutum shiny metallic 

 blue-black, the humeral angles broadly but indistinctly reddish ; 



* The ocelli are amber coloured. 

 t Also third and fourth. 



