266 HETEROCLIT^E. 



Genus II. DIXA. 



DIXA, Meig. Zw. i. 216 (1818); Mcq.; Curt.; Westw. ; Stseg. ; Ros. 



(V.); Zett.; Loew. 



Corpus elongatum, nudum, sat parvum. Caput parvum, rotundatum, 

 sessile ; irons lata. Oculi rotundi, remoti. Proboscis brevis. Palpi 

 4-articulati, exserti, incurvi, cylinclrici ; articulus primus brevissimus ; 

 quartus tertio paullo longior. Antennae 14-articulatae?, porrectae, se- 

 tiformes, vix pubescentes, thorace lorigiores ; articuli primus et se- 

 cundus breves, incrassati. Thorax ovatus, convexus. Scutellum 

 transversum. Metathorax breviusculus. Alae sat latee, incumbentes, 

 nudae. Abdomen angustum, segmentis septem. Pedes longiusculi, 

 gracillimi, nudi, inermes ; coxse breves, crassiusculae ; tibia3 vix cal- 

 caratae, posticas apice subincrassatae. Mas. Abdomen forcipe anali 

 brevi incurva. Fcem. Abdomen stylis duobus analibus parvis con- 

 tiguis. 



Body elongated, dull, bare, rather small, generally blackish. Head 

 small, rounded, sessile, lower than the thorax. Front broad. Eyes 

 round, remote. Mouth not lengthened. Palpi four-jointed, exserted, 

 curved downward, cylindrical ; first joint very short ; fourth a little 

 longer than the third. Antenna? fourteen-jointed ?, porrect, setiform, 

 very minutely pubescent, a little longer than the head and the thorax ; 

 first and second joints short, incrassated. Thorax oval, generally yel- 

 low, with dark stripes, convex above, almost gibbous in front, without 

 a transverse suture. Scutellum transverse. Metathorax rather short. 

 Wings moderately broad, incumbent, bare ; mediastinal vein ending at 

 half the length of the wing ; subcostal ending at just in front of the 

 tip ; radial and cubital springing from a short common petiole, which 

 proceeds from the subcostal at half the length ; radial forked before 

 half its length ; cubital connected at its base by a transverse veinlet 

 with the externo-medial ; the latter is forked near its tip, and is con- 

 nected with the subanal by a transverse veinlet, the middle of which 

 emits the second externo-medial ; subanal and anal complete ; axil- 

 lary incomplete, very short ; no discal areolet. Abdomen narrow, with 

 seven segments. Legs elongated, very slender, bare, unarmed ; coxae 

 rather thick, not elongated ; tibiae hardly armed with spurs, the hind 

 pair slightly incrassated at the tips. Male. Abdomen with a short, in- 

 curved anal forceps. Fern. Abdomen with two short contiguous anal 

 styles. 



The larvse probably inhabit fungi or decayed wood. The flies 

 generally appear in the evening, and are found in meadows and 

 woods. 



a. Wings unspotted. Species 1, 2. 

 a a. Wings spotted. Species 3, 4. 



1. sestivalis, Meig. Zw. i. 218. 2 (1818); Mcq. ; Gim. Testacea, 

 thorace mttis quatuor ferruyineis, alis limpidis, abdomine supra fusco, 



