NEMATUS PURPUEE^. 193 



Unknown to me. " A male. Britain. J. F. Ste- 

 phens." Kirby, I. c. 



96. NEMATUS PUEPUREJ). 



Nematus purpurece, Cam., E. M. M., xxi, 80. 



Black, covered with close, pale pubescence ; labrum, palpi, tegulae, 

 apical half of coxae, femora at base and apex, tibiae and tarsi, whitish- 

 testaceous ; flagelluni brownish beneath ; base of costa and stigma clear 

 white, the rest of costa and stigma at apical half fuscous. Antennae 

 closely pilose, a little shorter than the thorax and abdomen together, the 

 third joint, if anything, longer than fourth. Clypeus incised. Antennal 

 fovea large, deep, round, shining in the centre ; frontal area obsolete ; an 

 indistinct fovea below the front ocellus; vertex raised, the lateral 

 sutures broad, there is an indistinct one behind. Head and thorax 

 finely punctured, not very shining, abdomen smooth. The first trans- 

 verse cubital nervure semi-obsolete ; third cubital cellule longer than 

 broad, of nearly equal breadth throughout ; second recurrent nervure 

 received a little in front of second transverse cubital. The lower 

 median cellule in hind wings shorter than upper. The femora have a 

 more brownish tinge than the tibise or tarsi ; the black is not con- 

 tinuous, being absent from the sides, and to a certain extent from the 

 lower portion. Tarsi more or less fuscous above (especially the hinder) ; 

 cerci testaceous, as long as the hind spurs. 



Length 2 lines. 



A narrower insect than N. leucostigma, and readily 

 known from it by the black clypeus, much larger 

 antennal fovea, darker costa, longer third cubital 

 cellule; by the second recurrent nervure being 

 received much nearer the second transverse cubital, 

 and by the more densely pilose body, which is also less 

 shining. N. nigrolineaf.us, which agrees with it so 

 closely in habits, is a larger insect ; its legs are darker 

 coloured, the femora and tarsi being for the greater 

 part black ; the stigma has the apical half black ; the 

 pronotum is edged with white at the base, and the 

 third cubital cellule is dilated at the apex. In having 

 the flagellum brownish, N. purpurece differs from most 

 of the species. 



The larva lives on Salix purpurea, the leaves of 

 which are rolled down at the edges like what is done 

 by N. nigrolineatus and Cecidomyia clausila. It is 

 clear greenish-glassy, rather stout, becoming suddenly 

 attenuate at the anus, and bears no black marks on 

 ii. 13 



