MOLOPHILUS. 443 



patches ; the black hairs are the thicker on the veins and at the hase 

 of the 2nd vein, of the 3rd vein, at the fork of the 2nd vein, over 

 the stigmatic portion of the 1st vein, over the posterior cross- 

 vein, over the lower veinlet of the upper branch of the 4th vein, in 

 the middle of the axillary cell and towards the tip of the costa. 



Length 3;j milliin. 



Described from the 'type female taken by Dr. Annandale at 

 Phagu, Simla district, ( JOOO feet, ll.v.09, and an additional 

 female taken by the same gentleman at Naini Tal, Kumaou 

 district, 6400 ft., x. 1906. 



Type and second specimen in the Indian Museum. 



Genus MOLOPHILUS, Curt. 



Molophilus, Curtis, Brit. Entom. p. 444 (1833). 

 Erioptera, Scluner ''nee Meigen), "Wien. Ent. Monats. vii, p. 221 

 (1863). 



GENOTYPE, Erioptera atra, Mg. (brevipennis, Curt.). 



Molophilus possesses the general characters of Erioptera, to 

 which it is intimately akin, and from which the principal separative 

 character is the peculiar but very distinctive one of the 3rd longi- 

 tudinal vein issuing from the loiver branch of the 2nd longitudinal 

 vein, instead of from the prsefurca of that vein, as is usually the 

 case in the ERIOPTERINI. This causes the 1st submarginal cell 

 to be distinctly, though not greatly, longer than the 2nd. The 

 4th longitudinal vein forks much sooner than in Erioptera, much 

 before the anterior cross-vein, the posterior cross-vein being just 

 beyond the fork of the 4th vein. This causes the 2nd posterior 

 cell (as the discal cell is always absent, so far as I am aware) to 

 bejinuch longer than the 1st or the 3rd cell. Marginal cross-vein 

 just beyond the fork of the 2nd vein ; basal section of 3rd vein, 

 and the anterior cross-vein in a line. Posterior branch of the 

 4th longitudinal forked, the branches long and nearly parallel. 

 The 5th, 6th, and 7th veins nearly straight, the latter long, but 

 without any tendency to approach the 6th nor running parallel 

 to the hind margin of the wing, as is characteristic of the typical 

 Oriental species of Erioptera. 



Range. Europe, North America, and Australia, in addition to 

 the forms herein described. 



This genus was founded by Curtis for what he described as 

 M. brevipennis, Curt., but which subsequently was found to be 

 synonymous with Erioptera atra, Mg. * Although Osten Sacken 

 disagrees with the generic value of the characters f attributed to 



* Osten Sacken (Monog. Dipt. N. Amer. p. 148) distinctly calls attention 

 to the fact that the synonymy adopted by European authorities must have 

 been based on a comparison with the types, because Curtis's description and 

 that, of E. atra, Mg., would not lead an independent worker to the opinion of 

 their identity. 



t These were, the small size of the wing, the modified shape of the thorax 

 and abdomen, and the large male genitalia. 



