Dec, 'o6] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 371 



central rows small, between the dorsocentrals and the pleura are a few 

 irregular bristles ; scutellum with two long and two outer short bristles ; 

 pleura without bristles. 



Abdomen short-cylindrical, but very robust, in the male, the bristles 

 becoming longer posteriorly, those of the seventh segment nearly as 

 long as the last four segments ; each segment with a single large lateral 

 pit; hypopygium large, globose, closed, somewhat asymmetrical and 

 twisted to the right, the small apical organs nearly dorsal, the hypopy- 

 gium is less pruinose than the anterior portions of the body, posteriorly 

 with long black bristles. 



Legs short, robust, piceous-black, rather closely covered with short 

 black bristles, those of under side of front femora and of outer apical 

 side of hind femora more prominent, all the femora moderately thick- 

 ened, the tarsi somewhat flattened distally. 



Wings vestigeal, more or less triangular in outline, horizontally 

 extended over the abdomen, though reaching only to the third segment, 

 opalescent gray, a spot including the marginal cell and another around 

 the posterior cross vein infumated; veins yellowish, costal cell and the 

 first two basal cells distinct, marginal cell much shortened, humeral 

 cross vein distinct, no trace of anal veins, costa bristly. 



Length, 1.25 to 1.50 mm. 



This species was collected in some numbers at Monterey, 

 California, by Professor J. M. Aldrich, in May of this year. 

 The flies were running over the hot dry sands above the sea 

 beach in company with Parathalassias aldrichi, hereinafter de- 

 scribed. Professor Aldrich states that the species could be 

 easily caught by scooping an individual, sand and all, in one's 

 hand. The insect would run to the edge of the hand and 

 could be readily dropped in the collecting bottle. It is rather 

 strange that the swarms of these two interesting species should 

 have been overlooked by the previous collectors in that neigh- 

 borhood. 



Professor Mario Bezzi in his paper, "La Riduzione delle Ali 

 nei Ditteri,"* mentions but two species of Empididse with 

 shortened wings. Both belong to the same sub-family as the 

 present form. Tachista microptera Loew lives about stones 

 in the inland ; Chersodromia arenaria Haliday is from the sea- 

 shore. 



♦Rendiconti d. R. Inst. Lomb., Vol. xxxiii, 1900. 



