4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 69 



This is a widespread and fairly abundant insect in North America, 

 the larvae being parasitic on those of the May beetles, various 

 species of Phyllophaga. It was originally described from '' North 

 America''; tHfmoiata was from Indiana; apicalis was published 

 without locality; tr'ixoides was from Georgia. Coquillett reported 

 (lisjuncfa from New Hampshire to Georgia, Texas, and California, 

 but no doubt included specimens of michiganensis. 



Major Austen has recently assured me, from a reexamination of 

 Walker's types, that ajncalis and tnxoides belong here rather than 

 to 77iicMgcmensis. 



The species is recognized by the banded abdomen, the apical half 

 or more of segments 2, 3, and 4 being black, while the base is silvery 

 pollinose. Specimens from the Southwest (New Mexico and Arizona) 

 have a little wider pollinose bases than most of the eastern. Town- 

 send had labeled this form in the collection as vibnssata Van der 

 Wulp. I thought at first it might be a distinct species, then only 

 :'A subspecies, and finally concluded that some of the eastern speci- 

 mens are just about as pollinose as these and gave up designating 

 them by a special name. In these, rather more conspicuously than 

 in the eastern specimens, there is a tendency for the mesothoracic 

 pollen to be brown in the female and pure gray in the male. 



Material in the National Museum consists of 47 specimens : South 

 Windsor, Connecticut (Riley collection) ; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 

 und vicinity (Walton) ; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Klages) ; Vir- 

 ginia Beach, Virginia (Knab) : White Springs, Florida (Townsend) ; 

 ■Utica, Mississippi; Lafayette. Indiana (Aldrich) ; St. Joseph, Illi- 

 nois (Malloch) ; Leroy, Illinois (Riley collection) ; Opelousas, Louis- 

 siana (Pilate) ; Texas; Onaga, Kansas (Crevecoeur) ; Manitou Park, 

 Colorado (F. H. Snow) ; Las Cruces, New Mexico (Townsend) ; 

 Pecos, NeAv Mexico (Cockerell) ; El Porvenir, Pecos National Forest, 

 New Mexico (Townsend) ; Las Vegas, New Mexico (Barber) ; Hell 

 •Canyon, Manzano National Forest, New Mexico (Townsend) ; East 

 \ erde River, Arizona (Townsend) ; Botfly Canyon, Pinal Mountains, 

 Arizona (Townsend) ; Sabino Basin, Santa Catalina Mountains. 

 Arizona ( Townsend ) . 



Length, 8.7 to 14 mm., mostly over 11 mm. 



MICROPHTHALMA MICHIGANENSIS Townsend 



Megaprosopus michiganensis Townsemd, Trans. Amer. Eut. Soc, vol. 19, 1892, 



p. Ill ; Muscoid Flies, 1908, p. 54. 

 Microphthalma phjiUoplKigae Curran, Entomological News, vol. 36, 1925, p. 16. — 



Fetch and Hammond, 55th Report Ent. Soc. Ontario, 1925, p. 25. 

 Micro phthalmn prninosa Davis, Bull. Illinois Nat. Hist. Survey, vol. 13, 1919, 



p. 79. 



