PROTYLOCEHA. PIIYTOMIA. l>") 



very great size, swollen, rounded, dark reddish, asymmetrical, pro- 

 longed to the middle of the venter below, and there with a strong, 

 cylindrical, projecting piece. Legs short and strong, blackish 

 brown, the four anterior femora more reddish; front coxae very long 

 and broad, yellow, grey-dusted, and the piece before them also yellow, 

 yellowish pilose, with a row of six short but strong black spines ; 

 all the legs are clothed with short black hair ; hind femora thick 

 and short, almost arcuate, at the base below with a strong and 

 black conical tubercle, which is blunt and clothed with short 

 black hairs ; hind tibise short and broad, bent at the base ; tarsi 

 broad and flattened ; claw r s red, with black tips. Wings coloured 

 as in niyrita ; stalk of the marginal cell rather long, the subcostal 

 cell, therefore, longer than the marginal ; kink in the third vein 

 deep, but rounded and not appendiculated ; discal cell with a 

 long stump at the lower angle; anal cell dilated towards the 

 middle. 



Type c? , a single old and damaged specimen, from Betsileo, 

 Madagascar (Itev. D. Coica.n). 



Genus 12. PHYTOMIA, Guerin (1833). 



The very numerous Ethiopian species can be divided into three 

 groups. The first, or bulletin -group, resembling the Oriental 

 crassa-gronp, contains the more striking and characteristic African 

 species. The second, or natalensis-group, recalling the Oriental 

 sonata-group, embraces the yellow-and-black banded species, the 

 new species fucoides forming a link with the next group. The 

 third, or incisa-group, very like the cosmopolitan Eristalis tenax in 

 general appearance, seems to be peculiar to the Ethiopian Region, 

 and can be divided into two smaller groups, viz. (1) the species 

 with broad black face and black peristoma, and (2) the species 

 with narrower yellowish face and usually yellow peristoma. These 

 last species approach the genus Simoide* ; vi/lipes, Loew, was 

 described as a member of the latter genus, but I place it here on 

 account of its wings being without any pubescence. The male is 

 yet unknown. 



It seems that many species of Ethiopian Pliytomia, if not all, 

 have the eyes adorned with dark horizontal bands, which are 

 however, much less distinct than in Eristalodes, in which, besides, 

 the bands are perpendicular. 



The very numerous species in the collection can be distinguished 

 as follows : 



1 (20) Body short and broad, thick, very different 



from that of Eristalis tenax both in shape 

 and coloration. 



2 (15) Abdomen with more or less distinct bullm 



(i.e. rounded prominent tubercles^. 



3 ( 14) Arista plumose ; abdominal bulhe well de- 



veloped, very prominent. 



