132 Psijche [October 



This genus is of particular interest because of its apparent rela- 

 tionship to other Sarcophagid genera. This relationship is indi- 

 cated in the generic and specific names of the type species. The 

 following paragraphs bring out the main points of resemblance. 



Sarcofahrtia and Wohlfahrtia. Vestiture of back of head black 

 throughout, epaulets brownish and light yellowish or only yellow- 

 ish, three posterior dorsocentrals; two notopleurals; apical bristles 

 absent; lower stern opleurals with bristles only; abdomen of male 

 almost elliptical; sides of second and third ventral plates (usually 

 second, third and fourth in females) overlapped by ventral edge? 

 of corresponding nota; first genital segment of male "humpbacked" 

 as seen in profile and consisting of the sixth and seventh abdominal 

 segments (nota) fused ; fourth ventral plate of male without lamel- 

 lae; spiracles of abdominal nota on each side in a straight longitudi- 

 nal line parallel to long axis of abdomen. 



The lack of a row of hairs, hair-like bristles or bristles on the 

 gena near the lower eye orbit is also similar to the species of Wohl- 

 fahrtia studied, though in the latter genus the gena is often en- 

 tirely naked. The membrane connecting the notum of the first 

 genital segment to the abdomen in the male is very short in both 

 genera; this is radically different from the condition which exists 

 in most species of Sarcophaga in which the genital segments can 

 often be pulled well out from the end of the abdomen. The char- 

 acter of the vestigial remnant of the ventral plate of the sixth 

 abdominal segment is the same as that noted for Wohlfahrtia 

 (Parker, 1. c, p. 18). 



Sarcofahrtia and Ravinia. Rows of frontal bristles parallel to 

 sides of vitta except that lower one or two pairs may diverge slightly 

 (in Sarcofahrtia do not extend below base of vitta and only in a few 

 species of Ravinia) ; epaulets brownish and light yellowish or only 

 yellowish; vestiture of all tibiae short; apical bristles absent; 

 lower sternopleura with bristles only; base of forceps without up- 

 ward flap-like extensions. 



The general appearance of the head, viewed from in front, is 

 strikingly alike in Sarcofahrtia ravinia, Ravinia commu^iis R. Parker, 

 R. peniculata R. Parker and R. hamatodes Meigen. This is em- 

 phasized in the males by the fact that the sides of the frontal vitta 

 are noticeably "drawn" toward each other at the base, and in both 

 sexes by the sharp delineation of the vitta. The forceps prongs 



