234 



SYRPHID^E. 



Obscure cinereous. Wings colourless, with a faint brown costal spot. 

 Halteres white. Legs dusky yellow ; femora and middle of hind tibia 

 brown. 



Bare. (E.) In Mr. Haliday's collection. 



FAMILY XXV. S Y R P II I D M . 



Lch. ; Wt\v. SyrpUte, LI. g. e. ; Lm. ; St. F. et Srv. ; 

 Mq. SyrpJiii, Mq. Syrpltides, LI. r. a. SyrpJtidia p., llfnq. 

 SyrpJdci, Fin. ; Ztt. ; Ags. Sclerostoma p., Dmr. Aplocera p., Dmr. 

 Chetolona p., Dmr. Syrpldna, Nwm. Syrpkoides, Ernr. Sirphina, 

 RdiL 



Proboscis porrecta, 5asz yeniculata, maxillis et patyis basi connatis. An- 

 tennae articulo tertio compresso, arista "6-articulata, articulis pe- 

 nultimis minutis aut indistinctis. Ala lobo oxillari rotmidato ; 

 vena ambiente nulla, cubitali siinplici, spunis binis ; areola altera 

 completa juxla discalem propius apicem, bradiiali utraque et anali ala3 

 dimidiuni circiter attingentibus. Abdomen seginentis 5 (raro pluri- 

 bus). Tibia) muticrc. 



Body large or middle-sized ; ovate, oblong, or linear; more or less 

 covered with short pubescence or soft hairs, very rarely a few stiff 

 bristles intermixed on the thorax ( Volacella, CJirysoclamis) ; colours often 

 brilliant, sometimes metallic, yellow predominating in the markings. 

 Head about as broad as the thorax ; eyes not touching the peristoma, 

 often meeting on the front in the males, but distant in the females. 

 Occiput concave ; neck ligament very slender, so that the head is ver- 

 satile. Ocelli three in a triangle on the unarmed vertex. Face ample, 

 unarmed; often elongated downwards or forwards, and gibbous below. 

 Peristoma usually oblong, expanded, with a prominent margin, to con- 

 tain the proboscis when retracted. Mentum developed, memljranous, 

 forming a flexible fulcrum jointed at an angle with the porrected pro- 

 boscis. Labella pouting, ileshy. Labrum stout, strongly notched on 

 each side near the tip. Palpi slender, more or less connate with the se- 

 taceous maxilla?, their relative length being variable, rarely very minute 

 (Microdon}. Antennae porrected or drooping, the third joint large, 

 bearing on its upper edge, but rarely at the extremity (Ceria, Callicem), 

 the slender terminal joints which form the arista or style ; these nor- 

 mally are three, but the first two are very short, and often become in- 

 distinct. Thorax rather depressed ; the mesosternum little sloped, not 

 entirely concealed by the fore coxas ; suture before the wings, inter- 

 rupted in the middle ; scutellum rather large, usually semicircular, over- 

 hanging the metathorax. Lips of mctathoracic spiracles, and a twisted 

 filiform appendage on each side between them and the base of the 



