FAM. EMPIDID/E 103 
Sphicosa, Philippi, Verh. Zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, Vol. 15, p. 751 (1865); Bigot, Ann. Soc. Ent. France 
(6), Vol. 9, p. 116 [1889] (SPicosa) ; Kertész, Cat. Dipt. Vol. 6, p. 81 (1909). 
Steleocheta, Becker, Berl. Ent. Zeitschr. Vol. 31, p. 129 (1887); Wien. Ent. Zeit. Vol. 9, p. 32 (1890), 
Vol. 13, p. 156-159 (1894); Coquillett, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. Vol. 5, p. 257 (1903); Kertész, 
Cat. Dipt. Vol. 6, p. 8o [1909] (Steleochzta) ; Coquillett, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Vol. 37, p. 608 
(1910). 
Characters. — Rather slender, usually black, more or less opaque species measuring from two 
to six millimeters. ,Head globular, eyes bare, of the male broadly contiguous on the front, the upper 
facets enlarged, the lowermost minute, of the female widely separated, the front with a few small fronto- 
orbitals; face receding between the orbits, cheeks narrow but distinct; antennz inserted at the middle 
of the head, very long, plainly three-jointed, the basal joints equal, not strongly setose, the third joint 
cylindrical, somewhat tapering, blunt apically, about five times as long as wide, the terminal style very 
short, consisting of a broad quadrate basal segment and a minute end-bristle; proboscis extending 
obliquely forward, about as long as the head, rather thick, the labellar lobes distinct, palpi long and 
slender, more hairy and longer in the male; hairs of the occiput dense, not seriate, ocellar bristles fine. 
Thorax rather strong, its hairs abundant and replacing the discal bristles, lateral and posterior bristles 
fine, scarcely differentiated, scutellum with a fine marginal fringe; pleurz entirely bare but pollinose. 
Abdomen slender, about twice as long as the thorax, shorter in the female; pygidium of moderate to rather 
large size,the middle valves directed backward, the dorsal valves erect and bearing a posterior appendix, 
penis arcuate, sometimes quite long; abdomen of the female tapering, the terminal styles long. Legs 
slender, simple, femora of the male more or less ciliate with fine bristles, Wings a little tapering api- 
cally, anal lobe prominently rectangular, axillar angle pronounced, wings of the male darker than those 
of the female, stigma visible, hind margin thin, no basal bristle, marginal hairs minute, auxiliary vein 
distinct, ending in the costa at the middle of the wing, third vein with a rather short oblique fork, discal 
celllarge and apically blunt, placed in the middle of the wing, distinctly longer than the equal basal 
cells, last section of the fifth vein much shorter than the preceding, anal crossvein abruptly reflexed, one- 
third aslong as the anal cell, anal vein rather distinct, almost reaching the margin and separate from the 
under side of the anal cell, alula small; calypteres with a straight edge and a dense fringe. 
Type species : I. Macquarti (Pl. 6, Fig. 59), Zetterstedt's first species. These flies appear 
in early spring and frequent the flowers of willow, currant, etc. 
Geographical distribution. 
1. [. ? bicolor, Bigot, Mission Sc. Cap Horn, Vol. 6, p. 19 [1888] (SPAicosa); Cape Horn. 
Bezzi, Ann. Mus. Hungar, Vol. 3, p. 458, note [1905] (? Syneches); 
Brethes, An. Mus. Hist. Nat. Buenos-Aires, Vol. 16, p. 290 [1907] 
(? genus). 
2. I. conjuncta, Coquillett, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sc. Vol. 2, p.411 [1900](Emfis); Alaska. 
Melander, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. Vol. 28, p. 277 [1902] (Ragas); 
Coquillett, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. Vol. 5, p. 264 [1903] (? Emjis) ; 
Melander, Ent. News, Philad. Vol. 17, p. 378 (1905). 
3. I. coriacea, Bigot, Ann. Soc. Ent. France (6), Vol. 9, p. 126 (1889); Bezzi, Chile. 
: Ann. Mus. Hungar. Vol. 3, p. 458 (1905). 
4. I. cormus, Walker, List Dipt. Brit. Mus. Vol. 3, p. 496 [1849] (Empis); Canada. 
Coquillett, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Vol, 18, p. 400 [1895] (Emfis); 
Melander, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. Vol. 28, p. 296 [1902] (Emfis). 
5. I. italica, Loew, Beschr. Eur. Dipt. Vol, 3, p. 216 (1873). S. Europe. 
