ERIOCERA. 531 



In dried specimens the joints, by shrinking somewhat, are not at 

 all easily distinguished. Thorax: neck very short and narrow, 

 the head closely applied to the thorax, which is elongate, normally 

 arched, the suture distinct. Abdomen of the male linear, long, 

 occasionally very long (E. elonyatissima, Bran.), cylindrical, in 

 some cases almost subclavate. In the female generally widened 

 a little bayond the middle, the tip conical. Genitalia of the male 

 consisting of a pair of fleshy claspers, bearing two small terminal 

 pieces, one horny and hook-like, the other obtuse, apparently 

 softer. Some species have a pair of bifid hooks, which Osten 

 ISackeu, referring to E. spinosa of North America, calls a clutching 

 apparatus. Ventral plate narrow, pointed. In the female the 

 ovipositor takes the normal form of two elongate, pointed, rather 

 narrow, nearly straight upper valves, and a pair of shorter lower 

 ones. Legs long, comparatively stout, pubescent ; the anterior 

 pairs of femora shorter in some species;* tibiaB without spurs ; 

 empodia distinct. Some species have a small projecting tooth 

 at the extreme base of the uugues belo\v, not easily visible. 

 Wings sometimes of normal shape and size, in some species 

 considerably elongated, generally brownish or blackish in colour, 

 with or without hyaline or whitish spots and marks. Two sub- 

 marginal cells, generally four but sometimes five posterior cells, 

 and a discal cell. The auxiliary vein ending about opposite the 

 beginning of the 2nd submarginal cell, the subcostal cross-vein 

 near the tip of the auxiliary or at a short distance before this tip. 

 Marginal cross-vein a little before the tip of the 1st longitudinal 

 vein ; its relative position to the inner end of the 1st submarginal 

 cell depends on the length of the latter, the anterior cross-vein 

 being situated sometimes at the proximal end of the cell, and 

 sometimes beyond this point; prsefurca long, straight, arcuate at 

 base only ; inner end of 1st submarginal cell pointed, its petiole 

 varying in length, sometimes shorter than the posterior cross- 

 vein, sometimes considerably longer ; anterior cross-vein placed 

 generally beyond the base of the 2nd submarginal cell, thus 

 making the 1st posterior cell in such species shorter than the 

 2nd submarginal ; discal cell approximately square, normally pen- 

 tagonal, but six-sided in species in which the posterior cross-vein 

 is anterior to the end of the discal cell, in addition to the lower 

 branch of the 4th longitudinal vein being a little bent, sufficiently 

 to form a slight angle ; the 5th vein gently angled at junction 

 with cross-vein ; the 6th and 7th veins straight. 



Range. The entire tropical regions of the earth, apparently, 

 extending to China and Japan in the case of two species, and also 

 to North America in the case of several species. 



* Osten Sacken speaks of a North-American species in which the anterior 

 femora were but little more than half the length of the hind ones. 



2M 



