196 rsvciioDiDJi. 



Family PSYCHODID^. 



The members of this family are all very small moth-like flies, 

 closely covered with thick bristly hairs which exteucl to the legs, 

 the vviugs also invariably being closely hairy. Scales, too, foimi 

 an important pai't of the vestiture, being generally present on 

 the legs and wings and on other parts of the body. 



Head small, narrower than the thorax, set lo\v down on the 

 latter, arched, in some genera considerably developed posteriorly. 

 Prous broad in both sexes. Eyes kidney-shaped, bare ; ocelli 

 absent. Proboscis rather short, inconspicuous ( Psychodin.5; ) or 

 long and comparatively prominent (Phlebotomix/E). Palpi in- 

 curved, four- or five-jointed. Autenntie comparatively long, if 

 bent backwards reaching the hinder part of the thorax ; usually 

 of 15 or 16 joints (rarely 12); the two basal joints differentiated, 

 the flagellar joints more or less lengthened, with verticillate hairs. 

 Thorax convex, often greatly arched, densely pubescent in all 

 parts. tSiJutellum rounded, very small and incouspicuous ; meta- 

 notum well developed. Abdomen moderately arched, cylindrical, 

 only a little longer than the thorax, six-, seven-, or eight-segmented ; 

 segments in PsTcnoDixjE somewhat compressed, the abdomen 

 much more elongate in PuLEBOTOMiKiE ; in all the species covered 

 with close thick hairs. Genitalia of the male consisting of two 

 (PsYCHODiis^) or three (Phlebotomin^) pairs of appendages; 

 in the female, of a horny, slightly curved, pointed ovipositor 

 (PsYCHODiXyE) or withdrawn M'ithin the body (Phlebotomin^e). 

 Legs rather short (Psychouin^e), or moderately long (Phleboto- 

 Mi^'iE) ; metatarsus often much lengthened ; claws small ; pulvilli 

 often rudimentary. Legs thickly pubescent, with more or less 

 bristly hairs, generally with closely applied scales also, with bands 

 or circlets of larger scales in many species. Wimjs moderately 

 broad, elongate or lanceolate in Phlebotomix.e, broad or very 

 broad in Psyciiouin.e ; the veins always with at least two rows 

 of divaricate depressed bristly hairs ; the surface of the wing very 

 often also covered with similar, but finer hairs. Scales normally 

 pr esent, either covering considerable portions of the wing, or 

 fo'Cming small spots. In Psycuodin^ in a state of repose the 

 wings are held down close to the sides, the costal mai'gin lower- 

 most, which gives them some resemblance to small pubescent 

 homopterous insects, as well as to very small moths. 



In Phlebotomus they are held in a semi-upright position, whilst 

 in Brunettia they are spread out flat. Auxiliary vein very short, 

 1st longitudinal long; 2nd longitudinal forked, the upper branch 

 again forked ; 3rd vein long, simple, always originating before the 

 middle of the wing and ending at the tip of the wing or just 

 below it ; 4th forked, 5th and 6th simple, long ; 7th present, long 

 in PsYCHODiK^E, absent, or extremely short, in Piilebotomi>^7E, 



