new or little-knoion Tipulidge. 173 



pleural appendages at the end, these latter flattened, the 

 posterior margin at the base with a few stout black spines. 



Female. — About equal in size of body to the male, but the 

 wings smaller and the legs very small and slender. The 

 abdomen is greatly distended with large eggs, which con- 

 dition, together with the delicate nature of the wings, 

 probably renders this sex flightless, at least until oviposition 

 is accomplished. All of the females available for study are 

 teneral, the wings being pale and badly folded, the venation 

 less distinct than in the male but agreeing in all essentials. 

 The teneral nature of the females would lead us to believe 

 that copulation takes place while the female is still teneral, 

 a condition found in many other Tipulidse. Ovipositor with 

 the valves very small and fleshy, the sternal valves extending 

 beyond the tergal ones. 



'Hab. Natal. 



Holotype, <$ , Ambleside, near Port Shepstone, August 23, 

 1920 [H. K. Mmro). 



Allotopotype, ? . 



Paratopotypes, 15 c?'s, 5 ? 's. 



This very interesting species is dedicated to its collector, 

 my friend, Mr. H. K. Munro. The collector's full notes on 

 this species are of unusual interest. 



" Found on Ambleside near Port Shepstone on steep hill- 

 side, some distance from river. Conditions very dry — rain 

 had not yet begun. Hillside covered with original bush and 

 trees, undergrowth not very dense. Ground covered thickly 

 with dead leaves. Large numbers of this fly were observed, 

 most of them flying very close to the ground, in fact 

 touching the dead leaves, so that it was not possible to catch 

 them by beating without getting so many leaves that the 

 flies, which were very fragile, were ruined. A few were 

 flying up among the bushes. I soon observed that all those 

 flying were males, except only a very few females flying ' in 

 cop.' After watching them for some time I noticed the 

 flying males congregated in indiscriminate melees in certain 

 spots. When these were examined, I saw tliat on the ground 

 at each spot was a female with a very greatly distended 

 abdomen. One male was in copula and the rest were flying 

 around. 



^'The legs of the males are longer than those of tlie 

 females. Like many of the Tipulida?, individual insects 

 were hard to follow owing to their very light and cob-webby 

 ai)pearance.^^ — H. K. Munro. 



