THE DIPTEROUS GENUS SYMPHOROMYIA IN NORTH 



AMERICA. 



By John Merton Aldrich, 



Assistant, Cereal and Forage Insect Investigations, Bureau of Entomology. 



The genus Symphoromyia was established by Frauenfeld in 1867.* 

 Only one species is mentioned, Atherix melaena Meigen, which thus 

 becomes the undoubted type of the genus. Happily, there is no 

 nomenclatural dispute whatever about the correct application of the 

 name, and it has never been used in any other sense than the origi- 

 nal one. The loiown species are confined to Europe and North 

 America. 



The first North American species were mentioned by Osten Sacken 

 in his Western Diptera, 1877, in a paragraph which is well worth 

 quoting for its historic interest: 



Symphoromyia, ep. — Half a dozen species, which I took in Marin and Sonoma Coun- 

 ties in April and May, and about Webber Lake in July, all have the anal cell open 

 and therefore belong to the genus Symphoromyia Frauenfeld (Ptiolina Schiner, not 

 Zetterstedt). California seems to be much richer in this group than Em'ope or the 

 Atlantic States of North America; but as these species resemble each other very 

 closely, and as both sexes often differ in coloring, I deem it more prudent not to 

 attempt to describe them. 



The female of one of these species which I observed near Webber Lake stings quite 

 painfully and draws blood like a Tabanus. I am not aware of the fact ever having 

 been noticed before concerning any species of Leptidae (p. 244). 



The next occurrence of the genus in North American literature was 

 when Williston described two species, pachyceras and plagens.^ This 

 was closely followed by an article by Bigot,^ in which he described 

 six species from North America, latipalpis, pidicornis, trivittata, ful- 

 vipes, atripes, and comata. In an appendix to the same article, dated 

 April 4, 1887, Bigot states that he has received Williston's paper and 

 finds picticornis and trivittata to be synonyms of plagens and jxichy- 

 ceras, respectively. 



The only general treatment which the genus has received in tliis 

 country was by Coquillett,* in which 10 species are recognized. 



1 Verb, zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, vol. 17, p. 497. 



2 Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 13, 188G, p. 287. 



5 Bull. Soc. Zool. France, vol. 12, 1887, pp. 12-15. 

 < Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc, vol. 2, 1894, pp. 53-56. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 49— No. 2099. 

 81022°— Proc.N.M.vol.49— 15 8 113 



