122 EMPLOY. 



aut conicus; quartus longus, setiformis. Alae subdilatatse ; vena 



cubitalis simplex ; vents externo-medice 2 ; vena subanalis apparem ; 



areola discoidalis nulla. Pedes cursorii ; coxae femoribus breviores ; 



femora anteriora crassa, intermedia subtus spinulosa. 

 Mas. Anus obtusus. 

 Fcem. Anus acutus ; oviductus bifidus. 



Body small, often very minute, oblong, smooth, hardly bristly. 

 Colour black, brown, or yellow; legs most often banded. Head 

 small. Eyes brown, sometimes aeneous, remote. Proboscis shorter 

 than the head. Palpi flat, broad, almost conical, ciliated at the tips. 

 Antennae 4-jointed, generally shorter than the head ; third joint oval, 

 acute, or conical ; fourth long, setiform. Wings slightly widened ; 

 cubital vein simple ; externo-medial veins 2 ; subanal vein apparent ; dis- 

 coidal areolet none. Legs formed for running ; coxes shorter than the 

 femora. Anterior femora thick; intermediate femora generally pec- 

 tinated beneath. 



Male. Tip of the abdomen obtuse. 



Fern. Tip of the abdomen acute. Oviduct bifid. 



The Platypalpi dwell among herbage, and on the leaves of 

 shrubs and of trees, from the spring to the autumn; they are 

 very active, and run with great swiftness. The species may be 

 grouped thus : 



a. Antennae shorter than the head ; palpi pale yellow or white. 

 b. Legs for the most part all yellow. 



c. Thorax cinereous or hoary. Species 1-22. 

 c c. Thorax black, shining. Species 23, 24. 

 c c c. Thorax tawny or yellow. Species 25-31. 

 b b. Legs for the most part black or obscure. Species 32-36. 

 a a. Antennae longer than the head. Species 37-41. 



1. flavipes, Fb. e. s. iv. 406. 19(1794); LI. ; Mg.; Mq. ; Ztt. 

 vulgaris, Mg. kl. Cinereus, capite cano, antennis nigris, alis lim- 

 pidis, abdomine nigro, pedibus fiavis, tarsorum articulis apice genubusque 

 posterioribus nigris. Long. 1J 1^; alar. 3^4 lin. 



Cinereous. Head hoary, clothed above with black hairs, beneath 

 with white hairs. Eyes red ; facets larger on each side than above. 

 Palpi yellow. Antennae, black, nearly as long as the head. Wings 

 colourless ; veins brown, tawny at the base. Halteres yellow. Abdo- 

 men black, shining. Legs yellow, clothed with very short black hairs ; 

 tips of the tibia3 darker ; hinder knees and tips of the joints of the tarsi 

 black ; middle femora thick ; middle tibias curved, tips of their apical 

 spines black. 



Generally distributed. (E. S. I.) 



2. maculipes, , Mg. d. iii. 79.27(1822); Ztt. Cinereus, anten- 

 nis nigris, alis limpidis, abdomine nigro, segmentorum suturis cams, pedi- 

 bus fulvis, tarsorum articulis apice nigris. Long. 1 ; alar. 3} lin. 



