BERIS. 11 



These insects inhabit flowers and herbage during the summer. 

 B. clavipes and B. vallata frequent open meadows ; the other 

 species are more often found in woods. 

 a. Abdomen yellow. Species 1,2. 

 a a. Abdomen metallic or black. Species 3-6. 



1. clavipes, L. s. n. ii. 981. 12 (1767); Fb. ; Shr. ; Gm. ; Pz.; 

 Gf. ; LI. ; Mg. ; Fin. ; Mq. ; Ztt. ; Lw. nigra, Gf. Nigra, scutello 

 sex-spinoso, alis fuscis, abdomine luteo segmmtis fusco-fasciatis, pedibus 

 luteis, tarsis nigris, tibiis anterioribus fuscis basi flavis ; Mas. abdomine 

 basi nigro. Long. 2^-3 ; alar. 5-6 lin. 



Black, thinly clothed with tawny hairs. Proboscis tawny. Scutellum 

 armed with 6 spines. Wings brown, dark brown at the base and along 

 the fore border. Halteres yellow. Abdomen luteous ; a slender brown 

 band near the hind border of each segment. Legs luteous ; tarsi black ; 

 posterior tibiae dark brown, yellow towards the base. 



Male. Abdomen black at the base. Hind metatarsus dilated. 



Generally distributed. The eggs are oval, and form a chain 

 about an inch long, being connected, in an oblique position, side 

 by side. (E. S. I.) 



2. vallata, Ftr. n. sp. i. I. 96 (1771); Gm.; Mg. ; Mq. ; Ztt.; 

 Lw. nigritarsis, LI. clavipes, Mg. Nigra, scutello sex-spinoso, ab- 

 domine luteo, pedibus flavis, tarsis nigris, tibiis fuscis basi flavis. Long. 

 2-L-23 . a i ar> 4 |_5^ ii n . 



Black, thinly clothed with tawny hairs. Proboscis tawny. Antenna? 

 with the third joint sometimes ferruginous or tawny. Scutellum armed 

 with 6 spines. Halteres yellow. Abdomen luteous. Legs yellow ; 

 tibia3 dark brown, yellow towards the base ; tarsi black. Var. Hind 

 tibiae quite yellow; hind metatarsus tawny. Male. Wings brown. 

 Hind metatarsus slightly dilated. Fern. Wings colourless, yellow at 

 the base and along the fore border as far as the stigma, which is 

 brown. 



Generally distributed. (E. S. I.) 



3. chalybeata, Ftr. n. sp. i. I. 95 (1771); Mg.; Mq. sex- 

 dentata, Fb. ; LI.; Mg. ; Ztt.; Lw. obscura? Mg. ; Mq. ; Ztt. 



flavipes, Mq. atra, Mg. Viridis, scutelli spinis nigris, pedibus fulvis, 

 tarsis fuscis, metatarso postico fulvo ; Mas. alis nigro-fuscis, abdomine 

 atro ; Fcem. fronte lata, alis fulvo-subcinereis, abdomine piceo. Long. 

 2-2-i- ; alar. 4-5 lin. 



Antenna black. Scutellum armed with 4, 6, or 8 black spines. Legs 

 tawny; tarsi brown. Male. Dark green, clothed with short black hairs. 

 Proboscis yellow. Wings dark brown ; stigma very dark brown. Hal- 

 teres brown. Abdomen deep black, not shining. Coxae black. Hind 

 metatarsi dark tawny. Fern. Bright bluish-green, clothed with short 

 tawny hairs. Proboscis tawny. Wings pale grey, with a tawny tinge ; 



c 2 



