DICRANOMYIA. 375 



oehreous, venter oclireous. Legs rather dark brown, coxae and 

 femora towards base oehreous, posterior tarsi and apical fifth of 

 tibiae white, tarsi somewhat brownish-tinged at tip ; middle tarsi 

 brown like the femora and tibiffi. Posterior tarsi scarcely more 

 than half, middle two-thirds, as long as their tibiae. Anterior 

 legs missing. Wwcjs hyaline, with golden reflections, but less 

 brilliant than in the other species of the genus ; a distinct though 

 rather diffused stigma. The wing has the typical cuneiform 

 shape,* but there is a slight indication of an anal angle. Base 

 of basal cells at one-quarter of wing-length, mediastiual t vein 

 reaching costa much beyond origin of prajfurca, about half-way 

 between that and the apex of the 1st longitudinal vein. Sub- 

 costal cross-vein close behind apex of mediastinal vein. Marginal 

 cross-vein and tip of 1st longitudinal rather indistinct, forming 

 an obtuse angle about the middle of the stigma. Discal cell sub- 

 quadrate, great cross-vein about one-third of the way along its 

 lower side. Halteres rather long, stalk ochreous-brown, knob 

 dark brown. 



Length 4*5 millim., of wing 5 millim." (Edwards.) 



Described from a single female taken at Dondra, Ceylon, 

 3, xii. 07 (T. Bainbrif/ge Fletcher). 



Type in the British Museum. 



Mr. Edwards adds : " This species must apparently come in 

 the genus Thryptieomyia, though, like T. saltens, it shows con- 

 siderable divergence from the type, notably in the long mediastinal 

 vein, the less elongated wings and the less constricted abdomen. 

 Unfortunately we have no male." 



A character by which this species may be easily distinguished 

 from the others possessing white tarsi, is that only the hind pair 

 (" posterior," Mr. Edwards terms it) are white, the middle pair 

 being concolorous with the middle femora and tibiae. The fore 

 tarsi (missing in the type) may be brown or white ; more probably 

 the former. 



This species is retained in Dicranomyia in the present work, as 

 it seems better placed here. The wing shows a trace of an anal 

 angle, which in my opinion suggests that other species exist of a 

 sufficiently intermediate nature to break down this definition as 

 a generic character. The absence of a supernumerary subcostal 

 cross-vein also excludes the species from Thryptieomyia, Skuse. 

 The relative lengths of the different veins in species of Dicrano- 

 myia are very variable. Were it not that the typical species of 

 Skuse's genus is represented by six specimens the additional cross- 

 vein might have been presumed to be accidental. 



* Edwards is of course referring to the genus Thrypticomyia, in which he 

 places his species, and in which the cuneiform shape of the basal part of the 

 wing is a generic character. 



+ Synonymous witli auxiliary vein. 



