256 BOMBYLIID.E. 



cell, often sloping ; two or three subraarginal cells, four posterior 

 cells, 1st either open or closed ; anal cell generally open. 



This subfamily is by no means properly understood, nor its 

 limits satisfactorily defined. 



The present acceptance of it is in Verrall's sense, and only one 

 genus with a single species is Indian. 



Genus APH(EBANTUS, Lw. 



AphoKbanttis, Loew, Berl. Ent. Zeit. xvi, p. 253 (1872). 

 Triodites, Osten-Sacken, Bull. U.S. Geolog. Survey, iii, p. 245 

 (1877). 



GENOTYPE, ApJioebantus cervinm, Loew ; by original designation. 



Body and whole appearance Anthrax-like ; wings long. Bifur- 

 cation of 2nd and 3rd longitudinal veins at some little distance 

 (but not greatly) before anterior cross-vein. Frons in $ com- 

 paratively wide. Antennae remote at base ; 1st joint short, 2nd 

 very short ; 3rd short, more or less onion-shaped, with styliform 

 prolongation, not separated by a suture, with or without a bristle 

 at tip. Labella large, fleshy. Angulation of 3rd vein with or 

 without appendix. Small but distinct pulvilli ; generally a long 

 bristle at end of hind metatarsus. 



Range. All the previously known species come from North 

 America, except one occurring in Central America. 



At the time of describing Argyramceba ceylonica the possibility 

 of it being an Aphcebantus did not occur to me, as the genus was 

 unknown from any part except North America and a single 

 species from Central America. An unnamed specimen of my 

 species in the British Museum, labelled " ? Aphcebantus" first called 

 my attention to the genus, but no authenticated specimen definitely 

 referred to the genus has been available for comparison, so I adopt 

 it with some hesitation. 



The species agrees with Osten-Sacken's characters of the 

 bifurcation of the 2nd and 3rd veins, occurring at " some distance 

 before " the anterior cross-vein ; as a matter of fact, it occurs in 

 a line with or just beyond the base of the discal cell. The 

 antennal 3rd joint shows no sign of any pencil of hairs, but a 

 suture (about as far from the tip as in Argi/ramceba) is more or 

 less obvious under a microscope in all the twenty or more 

 specimens, mostly in good condition, examined, and the minute 

 bristle at the extreme tip is apparent. This, however, is hardly 

 my interpretation of Osten-Sacken's words "a minute, sometimes 

 scarcely apparent joint," which seems to refer rather to size than 

 distinctness of outline. 



A. ceylonicus is admitted to Aphcebantus herein on the strength 

 of the proximal bifurcation of the 2nd and 3rd veins, in conjunction 

 with the absence of the antennal pencil of hairs. 



The existence of my Argyramoeba intermedia and a probable 

 second closely-allied species with nearly clear wings somewhat 



