434 PLATYPHORA LUBBOCKII. 



PLATYPHORA, n. gen. 



Lata, planx, tota absque setis. Frons latissima. 

 Thorax transversus. Abdomen parvus. Alarum vena 

 cubitalis simplex, subacostali parallela; venulse undu- 

 latae ; costa ad basin subciliata. 



Distinguished from all the existing genera of 

 Phoridae by its flat and broad shape, which resembles 

 that of the small species of Sphcerocera. The absence 

 of strong bristles on the frons, thorax, and legs also 

 distinguishes it from all the genera except Gymnophora, 

 which, however, is of the usual arched PAora-shape, 

 and has the cubital vein forked, costa bare, &c. 



PLATYPHORA LUBBOCKII. Mgra, nitida ; abdomine 

 triangulari, segmento tertio parvo ; femoribus posticis 

 basi flavidis ; alis apice latis, flavido-hyalinis, costa ad 

 basin subciliata, vena cubitali ad medium costse extensa 

 subcostali parallela, venulis undulatis. Long, f lin. 



Broad, flat, shining ; frons very broad, the eyes 

 scarcely occupying each one-sixth the width of the 

 head ; it is moderately shining, gently arched, and 

 pretty densely clothed with minute bristles ; the 

 three ocelli visible slightly luteous ; antennae with the 

 third joint rather large, somewhat rounded ; thorax 

 broad, flat, rather broader than the head, angles 

 tolerably rounded, disk shining (in appearance sug- 

 gesting a small Sphcerocera), beset with very minute 

 bristles, which become rather scarcer towards the 

 hinder part ; scutellum rather dull, margined, nearly 

 four times as broad as long : abdomen black, narrower 

 and shorter than the thorax (again suggestive of 

 Sphcerocera) ; each segment after the second success- 

 ively narrower, the last one being almost trian- 

 gular ; the third segment is very short, contracted 

 under the second ; the hind margins form a curved 

 convex towards the thorax, the first segment being 



