Species o/Eriocera in the British Museum. 95 



with the verticalis group of Eriocera, and as a further 

 instance showing the inadvisability of using the character of 

 the number of branches of the media for generic classification 

 in the Tipulidse. 



6. The verticalis Group. — This, as I interpret it, includes 

 the thirteen species under section 12 in the key. Apart 

 from the general similarity in coloration and venation already 

 noted in the key, there are certain hypopygial characters 

 common to many, if not all, of the species. The organ has 

 been examined in six [fusca, nigrina, nya.ncola, tumidiscapa, 

 yerburyi, and verticalis), all of which show the following 

 commoQ features : outer clamper (text-fig. 1 b) rather gently 

 narrowed towards the curved-down tip, no preapical notch ; 

 inner clasper broad ; side-pieces simple at the base, some- 

 what curved ; parameres bilobed, lobes about equal in length, 

 upper lobe pointed, lower lobe very broad, with rounded tip, 

 placed nearly in a vertical plane; penis very short, arrow- 

 head-shaped (text-fig. 2j). If it should be desired to accord 

 this group subgeneric rank, the names Androclosma and 

 Globericera are available, The South-American species of 

 true Eriocera (including the type of the genus, E. nigra^ 

 Macq.) appi'oach this group in several respects — for example, 

 in the comparatively short vein II2 ^■i^d the straight, strongly 

 down-bent Cug. However, the hypopygium of a few species 

 which I have examined does not seem to show any very 

 close affinity between the two groups. 



7. The rubrescens Group. — Included under this heading 

 are the seven species from stricklandi to angustipennis in the 

 key, under the number 27, and also longijurca, Alex., and 

 tripunctipennis, Brun. Although there are among these some 

 with five posterior cells and some with four, it is fairly certain 

 that they are all somewhat closely related, except perhaps 

 E. stricklandi, which differs from the others in its much 

 larger frontal tubercle. Of the remaining species, four 

 are represented in the British Museum by males, and the 

 hypopygia of these have been examined. E. rufiventris, 

 E. pcenulata (text-fig. 2in), and E. pyrrhochroma are very 

 similar and have rather small bilobed parameres, the upper 

 lobes smaller than the lower, both lobes projecting inwards ; 

 the penis is small and rounded; the outer clasper is rather 

 abruptly narrowed a little before the tip, but not so much so 

 as in many other species. E. rubrescens (text-figs. 1 c, 21) 

 is somewhat different : the outer clasper with the tip more 

 hook-like ; parameres broad, rounded, not bilobed ; penis 

 very short, but poiuled. E. stricklandi (known so far only 

 from tlie female) would seem to l)e closely rebited to the 

 N.-Amcrican E. spinosa, ditfering chiefly in the colour of 



