COLLIN— DIPTERA, PHORID^ FROM SEYCHELLES 109 



Thorax yellow, with a tendency towards a brownish-yellow central stripe and similarly 

 coloured patches between this stripe, the humerus and the root of the wing ; scutellum 

 distinctly brownish with a pair of strong bristles and another pair of minute bristles nearer 

 the base; one pair of small dorso-central bristles; pleurae with brownish -yellow patches below 

 the dorso-pleural suture, especially beneath the root of the wing and beneath the post-alar 

 callus ; mesopleura with a few bristles on the upper hind corner ; metanotum yellow. 



Abdomen brownish-yellow with dull dark brown sides to the segments and narrow pale 

 yellow hind margins, sixth segment entirely dull dark brown except for the narrow hind 

 margin ; indications exist of a brownish central stripe down the abdomen. Hypopygium 

 small and inconspicuous, but anal process lai'ge, pale yellow, nearly as long as the sixth 

 abdominal segment. 



Legs whitish yellow, especially the anterior pairs ; hind femora darkened at the tip 

 and without any long hairs at the base beneath ; tarsi pointed, i.e. last joint no wider than 

 penultimate joint and ungues very minute, middle tibiae with one long spur, hind tibiae 

 one short spur ; cilia on hind tibiae very weak. 



Wings (fig. 3) with the costa not reaching to middle of wing and with short ciliation, 

 second thick (cubital) vein simple (not forked). Halteres pale yellow. 



$. Like the male, but the first three joints of the front tarsi are remarkably flattened 

 and widened {Platychirus-Vike) on the outer or posterior side ; the first joint is distinctly 

 wider than the tibia and a little more than twice as long as wide, the second joint is wider 

 still and but little longer than wide, the third is about the same width as the second but 

 hardly so long, the fourth joint is but little stouter than normal, while the last joint, like the 

 last joint of all the tarsi, is exceedingly pointed, the ungues and pulvilli being microscopic. 



The sixth abdominal segment bears some long bristles round the hind margin, the 

 telescopic ovipositor is more heavily chitinized than usual in Phora and when fully 

 exposed is about twice as long as the sixth abdominal segment and gradually tapering 

 in width, towards the tip there appears to be a joint (about which a few short hairs are 

 visible) and beyond this joint it terminates in a short curved flattened style. 



Length about 1*25 mm. 



This species would probably be considered by Brues as belonging to his genus 

 Plastophora, but I do not consider the horny ovipositor, by itself, a generic character, while 

 in aculeipes the proboscis is not enlarged and horny as in the type of Brues genus. 

 A. forraicarum Verr., which has been placed by Brues in the genus Plastophora, differs 

 from aculeipes among other characters in tlie arrangement of the frontal bristles (v. Ent. 

 Month. Mag., London, l'J08, p. 168). 



Locality. Mahd : Cascade Estate, about 800 feet and over, X. 1908 — L 1909. 

 Twenty-three males, six females. 



6. Aphiochceta mera, n. sp. 



?. Frons greyish-black, longer than wide, outer bristles of lower frontal row placed 

 above the inner and equidistant from the eye margin, upper pair of supra-antennal bristles 

 placed wider apart than the smaller lower pair ; antennae small, yellow, but brownish 

 above, arista short, not longer than the frons, face yellow, palpi pale yellow. 



