334 EMPIDJE. 



pale, only the posterior ones a little stronger. Scutellurn with 

 two bristles; halteres and squamae black, fringed. Abdomen 

 slender, acuminate, black, moderately shining, with a slight 

 purplish tinge and pale hairs, which are somewhat longer on the 

 venter ; lamellae of ovipositor prominent, blackish brown, with 

 black hairs. Leg* : middle pair shining black, with pale pubes- 

 cence and short bristles ; middle tibiae on outer side with a row 

 of five bristles of equal length ; posterior tibiae clavate at tip, 

 with short bristles on outer side ; tarsi with sparse, rather long 

 bristles ; posterior femora a little longer than tibiae, hardly in- 

 crassate, with rather weak short bristles below. Wings clear, 

 strongly iridescent, with weak pale veins; stigma absent ; discal 

 cell extremely small, placed in middle of wing. 



Length, 2^-3 mm. ; wing, 2-2-5 mm. 



Two females from Colombo, 28. ii. 1902, and one exactly similar 

 from Sattelberg, Huon Gulf, Papua, v. 1899. 



Very closely allied to S. nitida, Lw., from South Africa. Bezzi 



notes the difference in size of the discal cell as separating his 



from Loew's species. The form and relative positions of the 



bases of the 2nd and 3rd longitudinal veins are also different in 



he two species, according to the figures. 



Genus HARPAMERUS, Big. 



Harpamerus, Bigot, Rev. Mag. Zool. (2) xi, p. 301 (1859). 

 "Near Hybos. Head conical, short; proboscis erect, mode- 

 rately long ; palpi porrect, cylindrical, tip with long bristle. 

 Antennae short ; two basal joints narrow and inconspicuous ; 3rd 

 rounded, as long as 1st, compressed; style long, bare, apical. 

 Hind femora incrassate, underside with long spines incrassated at 

 their bases. Wings with anal cell large, closed on hind margin 

 of wing." 



264. Harpamerus signatus, Big. 



Harpamerus signatus, Bigot, Rev. Mag. Zool. (2) xi, p. 306 (1859). 



" d $ . Testaceous : abdomen brown at tip. Thorax brown, 

 with three dark stripes. Proboscis pale ; palpi brownish. Legs 

 testaceous ; hind legs brown ; all tarsi pale testaceous or whitish, 

 with black tips. Wings subhyaline, veins infuscated with 

 brownish ; stigma hemispherical, brown. Ceylon." , 



Length, 6 mrn. 



Genus ACARTERUS, Ltv. 



Acarterus, Loew, Ofv. K. Vet.-Akad. Forli. xv, p. 340 (1858) ; id., 

 Dipt. Fauna Siid-Afr. p. 262 (I860;. 



GENOTYPE, Acarterus unicolor, Lw. (S. Africa). 



Third antennal joint broad, shortly conical, with a straight bare 



