102 



PSl'CHB. 



[ Septemher— October iSSS. 



found no less than three genera of as/li- 

 dae identical, and unknown elsewhere. 

 1 regret never to have seen a speci- 

 men of Rhaphiomidas O. S., one of 

 those peculiar transitional forms about 

 which opinions will differ. Baron 

 Osten Sacken has recently rejected it 

 from the midaldae^ and, judging from 

 the description of the antennae, w ith 

 good reason. These organs seem to be 

 quite like those of the Dasypogonid 

 Ospriocerus. In some features the 

 form seems intermediate between 



Apiocera and the asilidae^ but the 

 wing structure is so different from that 

 of the latter family that I do not think 

 it should be united with it. I would 

 lather place it among the apioceri- 

 dae. These and the many other osci- 

 lant genera in the Orthorrhaphous 

 diptera serve only to emphasize the 

 fact that nature abhors classification, 

 and the only good that can come from 

 their discussion is the elucidation of the 

 relative values of different structural 

 characters. 



DESCRIPTION OF ASPHONDYLIA HELIANTHI-GLOBULUS. 



BY JOHN MARTEN^ CHAMPAIGN, ILL. 



This fly is recorded in Osten Sacken's 

 Catalogue of N. A. Diptera, p. 5, as 

 A. heltanthl-globulus^ Walsh {^hi l/'fL). 

 Osten Sacken gives the following com- 

 parison. Trans. Am. Ent. Soc.Vol. Ill, 

 p. 52- — "^. rtidbeckice conspicua at 

 first sight is not unlike A. helia)itJii- 

 globulus^ Walsh in litt., of which I owe 

 a specimen to my lamented friend. 

 Walsh's species, however, is easilv 

 distinguished by the paler color of its 

 hind tibiae and tarsi. Its general color 

 is also paler brown, with a yellowish- 

 brown pubescence ; its coxae are pale ; 

 the vein ending in the apex of the wing 

 is less arched than \\\ A. ntdbecklae. 



'•'•A. hcUa)ithi -globithis^ Walsh, 

 forms a rounded swelling on the stem 

 of Hella//th?is. As it has never been 

 described these notes may serve to 

 identify it." 



Imago, ^ 9 1 blackish brown, cov- 

 ered with grayish hairs (dry and alco- 

 holic specimens become more brown) ; 

 feet black witli gra\ish hairs, femora 

 brownish ; hind tibiae, short first joint 

 of tlie tarsi and the long second joint 

 whitish tipped with black hairs. Wings 

 clothed with dark grayish hairs, dusky ; 

 venation like that of A. monacha., O. 

 Sack., it consists of three veins the last 

 of which is forked, the anterior branch 

 being partially concealed in a fold which 

 extends to the root of the wing ; the 

 second vein is nearly straight and ends 

 almost in the middle of the apex. The 

 antennae are fourteen jointed (2 -|- 12), 

 filiform and pubescent ; the joints of 

 the flagellum are cylindrical, of nearly 

 equal gradually diminishing length up 

 to the ninth ; the tenth is smaller than 

 the ninth ; the eleventh and twelfth to- 



