1914] Banks—Notes on Asilide 131 
NOTES ON ASILID#, WITH TWO NEW SPECIES. 
By NatuHan Banks, 
East Falls Church, Virginia. 
In the genus Asilus Hine has used as diagnostic characters the 
bristles on hind border of the scutellum and on front side of the 
hind tibize. There are cases where these seem to help very much, 
but there are so many cases where they mislead that I think a 
division of the genus on a color character (whether hind femora 
entirely black or not) is much more useful for our Eastern species. 
For A. notatus but two scutellar bristles have been described, yet 
in many cases there are four or five, and often three. The tibial 
bristles are apt to confuse A lecythus with A. paropus, if one is 
not familiar with the species. 
Asilus autumnalis sp. nov. 
Face yellowish, white on the tuberosity, mystax black above and yellowish or 
yellowish-white below, beard white; antennz black, third joint with sides more 
parallel than in A. novescotia, bristle full as long as third joint. Thorax with dull 
black median stripe, indistinctly divided in front, and two spots each side behind, 
rest with yellowish dust, black hair in front and black bristles behind; scutellum 
with two bristles on the hind margin; abdomen brown, mostly clothed with yellow- 
ish pollen on sides and behind, and yellow hairs all over. Legs with black femora, 
the tibize and metatarsi pale yellowish, with black tips. Wings as in A. novescotie. 
The male forceps are more narrowed at tip than in A. novescotie, and the tip more 
bent downward, so that the lower side is plainly concave. Length, 14-15 mm. 
From Falls Church, Va., in August and September. 
Our local species of Astlus which have the hind femora entirely 
black may be distinguished as follows: 
1. Front and middle femora largely yellow; ovipositor very long. . .flavifemoratus. 
Bronte andemiddlestemoraiplackaeanmnen see emer ere eee eaiererrs 2 
2. All tibize pale only at extreme base; metatarsi black; mystax black and 
Kee Ota ee en ered VO Rbk ee aS Let a notatus. 
Mibiserwithymorerpaleseea wast ote era ee ne eerie cyt or yc sete 3 
3. Mystax mostly golden, tibia I wholly clear yellow; abdomen black, with white 
hair, no yellow pile; male forceps furcate at tip.................-- orphne. 
Male forceps not furcate, tibia I not all clear yellow....:.................. 4 
4. Mystax mostly black; hind tibiz mostly dark; abdomen dark, with pale gray 
ApicalemargiursstORSe PIM ents ssayee siecle cen nies oy esate) elo cross tor sree sadytes. 
Miystaxalargely: pale. x-1) acton tesa sie sci oot Nene oe cat one new abe te 5 
