April 1S92.J 



PSYCHE. 



247 



A NEW GENUS OF TACHINIDAE. 



BY C.'ll. TYLER TOWNSEND, LAS CRUCES, N. MEXICO. 



I am indebted to Professor Brauer, of 

 Vienna, for a note to the effect that the 

 species which I described under the name 

 of Meigenia hyphantriac (Psyche, vi. 

 176) is not a Meigenia, but a new 

 genus. I have always recognized the 

 fact that this, and one or two other spe- 

 cies which I have referred to Meigenia, 

 did not belong there strictly. They 

 seemed to come closest to that genus, 

 and therefore I referred them there pro- 

 visionally, until some better place could 

 be found for them. I must, however, 

 confess to a misconception of the genus, 

 as originally understood by me. 



The present seems a good opportu- 

 nity to present a characterization of the 

 new genus. 



Hyphantrophaga, n. gen. 



Ashj gray species of rather less than me- 

 dium size ; belongs in Tackininae s. str. Head 

 rather semicircular in profile; front hardly 

 prominent, one-third to three-sevenths width 

 of head in $ , and about one-fourth to three- 

 elevenths in (J ; frontal bristles descending 

 about to base of third antennal joint, two 

 orbital bristles in $ (three on right side in 

 one 5), none in $ . Face receding, epis- 

 toma not prominent; facial depression three- 

 fifths width of face in $ , relatively narrower 

 in $ , moderately deep ; facial ridges with a 

 few fine bristles which extend less than half 

 way up, slightly constricted just above oral 

 margin where the decussate vibrissae are in- 

 serted ; sides of face and cheeks bare, the 

 cheeks about one-fifth eye-height in °- , less 

 in $. Eyes faintly and rather sparsely short 



hairy in $ , more distinctly so in J. An- 

 tennae somewhat shorter than face, second 

 joint hardly elongate, third about two and 

 a half times as long as second in 5 and three 

 times in J, narrow, not widened ; arista thin, 

 minutely pubescent, apparently 2-jointed, 

 slightly thickened at base. Proboscis short, 

 fleshy, labella large; palpi rather slender, 

 slightly thickened apically. Thorax nearly 

 as wide as head; scutellum with a weak de- 

 cussate apical pair of bristles, a weak discal 

 pair, and two strong lateral pairs. Abdomen 

 of $ fully as wide as thorax, short oval, 

 rather narrower than thorax in $ , ovo-coni- 

 cal, first segment shortened ; macrochaetae 

 marginal, except on last segment which bears 

 both discal and marginal in both sexes; hy- 

 popygium of $ hardly exserted. Legs rather 

 short, not strong, bristly ; claws and pulvilli 

 elongate in $ , much less so in $. Wings 

 longer than abdomen, without costal spine, 

 third vein bristly at base; apical cell open, 

 sometimes very narrowly, a little before tip 

 of wing ; fourth vein bent at an obtuse angle, 

 without stump or wrinkle, apical cross-vein 

 slightly concave; hind cross-vein rather sin- 

 uate in J, usually less so in $. ending 

 nearer to bend of fourth vein. Tvpe, Hy- 

 phatitrophaga hypkantriae Twns., Psyche, 

 vi. 176-177, there referred to Meigenia. 



The above-referred to description in 

 Psyche, of the species, was drawn from 

 ? specimens only, and not from both 

 sexes as there indicated ; the whole de- 

 scription should be applied only to fe- 

 males. From a $ which issued August 

 31, and another a little later, are drawn 

 the characteristic differences given in 

 the above generic description, distinct- 

 ive of that sex. 



