﻿526 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM. 
  vol. 
  44. 
  

  

  brown, 
  front 
  with 
  a 
  median 
  brown 
  vitta; 
  thorax 
  reddisli, 
  Lmged 
  

   with 
  dull 
  brown; 
  halteres 
  whitish; 
  abdomen 
  testaceous, 
  incisures 
  

   infuscated; 
  feet 
  testaceous; 
  wings 
  almost 
  hyaline, 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  

   slightly 
  tinged 
  with 
  wliitish; 
  stigma 
  small, 
  black; 
  transverse 
  veins 
  

   and 
  tlie 
  third 
  longitudinal 
  vein 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  margined 
  ^vith 
  brown. 
  

  

  Translated 
  from 
  Bigot's 
  original 
  description. 
  His 
  figure 
  shows 
  an 
  

   insect 
  with 
  a 
  moderately 
  long 
  Sci; 
  Scg 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  Sc^; 
  

   K2+3 
  long 
  fused, 
  much 
  longer 
  than 
  either 
  R2 
  or 
  1^3) 
  wliich 
  are 
  sub- 
  

   equal; 
  Mi+3 
  fused 
  to 
  the 
  wing 
  margin; 
  the 
  outer 
  deflection 
  of 
  M3 
  

   about 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  cross-vein 
  m; 
  basal 
  deflection 
  of 
  Cu^ 
  at 
  the 
  fork 
  of 
  

   M. 
  The 
  anal 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  is 
  prominent. 
  

  

  Genus 
  POLYMERA 
  Wiedemann. 
  

  

  Po^j/mera 
  Wiedemann, 
  Dipt. 
  Exot., 
  vol. 
  1, 
  1821, 
  p. 
  40. 
  — 
  Osten 
  Sacken, 
  Mono- 
  

   graphs, 
  vol. 
  4, 
  1869, 
  p. 
  335; 
  Studies, 
  e.tc, 
  pt. 
  2, 
  1887, 
  p. 
  215. 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  Polymera 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  characteristic 
  one 
  in 
  the 
  Neotropical 
  

   regions. 
  Almost 
  every 
  collection 
  brought 
  from 
  South 
  or 
  Central 
  

   America 
  includes 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  interesting 
  group, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  

   probable 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  ultimately 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  genera 
  

   of 
  the 
  tropical 
  crane-fly 
  fauna. 
  One 
  species, 
  Polymera 
  tnagnijica 
  

   Meunier,^ 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  as 
  fossil. 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  species 
  hitherto 
  described, 
  five 
  in 
  number, 
  range 
  from 
  

   Brazil 
  to 
  the 
  southeastern 
  United 
  States. 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  for 
  study 
  

   about 
  25 
  specimens 
  which 
  included 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  known 
  species, 
  excepting 
  

   fusca 
  Wiedemann 
  and 
  albitarsis 
  Williston, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  seven 
  new 
  forms. 
  

   The 
  males, 
  as 
  now 
  known, 
  are 
  all 
  characterized 
  by 
  extremely 
  elongated 
  

   antemiEe, 
  at 
  least 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  body, 
  and 
  usually 
  clothed 
  with 
  long 
  

   dehcate, 
  outstretched 
  hairs. 
  The 
  antennal 
  segments 
  may 
  be 
  

   elongate-cylindrical 
  and 
  not 
  constricted 
  (niveitarsis 
  and 
  possibly 
  

   fusca), 
  or 
  they 
  maybe 
  constricted 
  once, 
  producing 
  a 
  bi-nodose 
  effect 
  

   (most 
  of 
  the 
  species), 
  or 
  constricted 
  twice, 
  producing 
  a 
  tri-nodose 
  

   appearance 
  (pleurdlis). 
  Specialization 
  in 
  wing 
  venation 
  is 
  also 
  

   evident, 
  ranging 
  from 
  a 
  generalized 
  form 
  like 
  niveitarsis 
  with 
  deep 
  

   forks, 
  through 
  pleuralis 
  which 
  has 
  lost 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  forks 
  (M^+a 
  fused 
  

   to 
  the 
  margin) 
  but 
  still 
  has 
  a 
  deep 
  medio-cubital 
  fork, 
  to 
  conjuncta, 
  

   which 
  shows 
  a 
  decided 
  tendency 
  for 
  Cuj 
  and 
  M3 
  to 
  fuse 
  to 
  the 
  wing- 
  

   margin. 
  

  

  Wiedemann 
  does 
  not 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  antennae 
  of 
  the 
  iemale 
  fusca 
  are 
  

   elongated 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  (as 
  described 
  by 
  Williston, 
  Dipt. 
  St. 
  

   Vincent, 
  p. 
  297). 
  The 
  sex 
  of 
  the 
  specimen 
  that 
  he 
  figures 
  is 
  not 
  

   given, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  a 
  male. 
  The 
  venation 
  and 
  antennse 
  are 
  

   so 
  similar 
  to 
  niveitarsis 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  surprising 
  if 
  the 
  second 
  

   specimen 
  that 
  Wiedemann 
  possessed 
  ^ 
  from 
  the 
  Frankfort 
  Museum 
  

   proved 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  that 
  species. 
  

  

  1 
  Ann. 
  Sci. 
  Nat. 
  Z06I., 
  vol. 
  4, 
  p. 
  385, 
  pi. 
  14, 
  figs. 
  U, 
  12; 
  pi. 
  15, 
  fig. 
  2; 
  pi. 
  16, 
  fig. 
  1. 
  

   » 
  Auss. 
  Zweifl. 
  Ins., 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  554. 
  

  

  