164 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. IV, 



Proctacanthus brevipennis Wiedemann. 



Total length 20 to 28 millimeters. Mystax usually white but 

 sometimes yellowish and occasionally largely black, in any case there 

 is likely to be more or less black bristles mixed with the others, beard 

 white, palpi with black hair, occipito-orbital bristles mostly black. 

 Thorax brown, gray pollinose, mesothoracic dorsum with the usual 

 markings very plainly differentiated, anterior part with short black 

 hairs, posterior part with numerous black bristles; scutellum with black 

 bristles and a few white hairs before. Wings uniformly pale brownish; 

 legs brown, tibia and tarsi lighter than the femora, which are nearly 

 black before and brown behind. Abdomen rather dark colored, more 

 or less gray pollinose, male genitalia red, rather short, small, of nearly 

 the same width throughout and evenly rounded at the tips. Ovi- 

 positor shining black, except occasionally when it is more or less red, 

 with a distinct circlet of spines at the tip. 



The small size and plainly differentiated thoracic markings 

 are usually sufficient to place specimens of this species. 



Specimens at hand from North Carolina, Kansas, New 

 Jersey, Florida, and Georgia. The type of the species was 

 taken in Kentucky. 



THE GENUS PROMACHUS. 



In 1838 Macquart described the genus Trupanea to receive 

 the species which fall here. Ten years later Loew discovered 

 that Macquart's name could not stand on account of previous 

 usage and proposed Promachus to take its place. The species 

 are large, although somewhat smaller than the species of Proc- 

 tacanthus. The bristles of the antennae are naked, the veins clos- 

 ing the discal and fourth posterior cells are not parallel, the pos- 

 terior branch of the third vein terminates beyond the tip of the 

 wing, there are three submarginal cells and the abdomen is 

 longer than the wings. These characters will place the species 

 easily in most cases but certain species of Mallophora may cause 

 trouble. In case they do the fact that the members of the lat- 

 ter genus have obtuse claws, while those falling under Pro- 

 machus have pointed claws should obviate the difficulty. 

 There are at least nineteen valid species of the genus described 

 from North America, but since five of these from Mexico and 

 Central America could not be procured only fourteen are 

 treated in this paper. The genus appears to reach its greatest 

 development to the southward and I have reasons for believing 

 that there are yet in North America several undescribed 

 species. 



