PLATYPEZA. 391 



The PLATYPEZID^E form a tolerably compact and limited group 

 of small dark flies, possessing affinities with both the DOLI- 

 CHOPODID^E and SYRPHIDJE, being distinguished from the former 

 by the holoptic males and generally incrassated front tarsi, dull 

 colour, and short, thick-set build ; and from the latter by the 

 open 1st posterior cell, absence of the spurious vein and presence 

 of chaetotactic bristles. The peculiar bend in the 4th vein in 

 Platypeza is suggestive of the " kink " in the same vein in the 

 DOLICHOPODID^E. There seems to be no justification for allying 

 the PHORID^E with the present group of families. 



Life-history, The larvae of very peculiar form, amphipneustic, 

 flat, broadly oval, with jointed thread-like processes : the sides of 

 the body sometimes deeply indented and serrate (Callimyia, non- 

 Oriental) ; the head and next following segment often not visible 

 from above, thus appearing as though only 9 or 10 were present, 

 whereas there are 10 or 11 segments in addition to the head. 

 They live in fungi, especially in species of Boletus, Aqaricus, and 

 Lepiota. The pupae are very similar in appearance. The flies fre- 

 quent low hedges and woods, where they run round quickly in 

 small circles, varied from time to time (at least in the males) by 

 hovering in the air. Verrall thinks some of the species may 

 be two-brooded, the second one being the more numerous. Only 

 the genus Platypeza has been yet recorded from India, but others 

 with less cliaracteristic venation may have beeu overlooked. 



Genus PLATYPEZA, %. 



Platypeza, Meigen,* Klass. Besch. Zweifl. Ins. p. 310 (1804) ; 

 Brunetti, Rec. Ind. Mus. vii, p. 482 (1912). 



GENOTYPE, Platypeza fasciata, Mg. (Europe) ; by Eondani's 

 designation (1850). 



Head large, as broad as thorax ; eyes green in life, contiguous 

 in c? for a considerable space, upper facets much enlarged ; frons 

 in $ about one-fourth of the head ; proboscis short, labella broad ; 

 palpi wedge-shaped ; face small, with distinct raised side margins. 

 Antenna? small, porrect ; 3rd joint a little longer than deep ; arista 

 apical, long, bare. Thorax rather oval or subquadrate, moderately 

 arched, bare of pubescence, but with tiny bristles as well as larger 

 cha3totactic ones ; traces of dorso-central rows, though very small, 

 except the hinder two or three, which are very distinct; a strong 

 presutural bristle, two or more between the shoulder and the 

 wing-base, a large intra-humeral, and one on the posterior callus ; 

 sides bare ; scutellum generally with two pairs of marginal bristles. 

 Abdomen longer than thorax, rather flattened, elliptical, more 

 pointed at tip in $ ; 6-segmented in c? , hypopygiuin incurved ; 



* Though first described by Meigen in Illig. Mag. ii, p. 272 (1803), no specie* 

 was then assigned to the genus. 



