TAXONOMY OF MUSCOIDEAN FLIES — TOWNSEND IOl 



summer. This is a remarkable habit of oviposition among tach- 

 inids, and credit is due to Air. Kiske for the discovery of it. 



Genus Comatacta Coquillett 

 Comatacta nautlana, sp. nov. 



The material upon which the genus Comatacta Coquillett was 

 founded was collected at San Rafael, near Jicaltepec, Veracruz 

 (Townsend). The specimens were erroneously identified with 

 Brachycoma pallidula van der Wulp (Can. Ent, 1902, pp. 199-200), 

 which is to be considered the type of the genus Comatacta. 



The present species differs from van der Wulp's description of 

 pallidula as follows : Facial plate silvery like parafacials ; frontalia 

 honey yellow, parafrontals silvery with a golden shade. Frontal 

 bristles descending but one or two below base of antennae. Beard 

 very short, grayish. Antenna? reaching two-thirds to three-fourths 

 way to oral margin. Arista rufous, concolorous with antennae. 

 Anal segment hardly at all rufous. 



Type.— Cat. No. 10,906, U. S. N. M. 



PARADEXODES, gen. nov. 



Wings longer than Dexodcs (type spcctabilis Meigen), abdomen 

 very bristly like Dexodcs, with many discal macrochaetae and erect 

 hairs, apical pair of scutellar bristles weak but long and markedly 

 divaricate. Eyes bare ; male front narrow, about or nearly equal- 

 ing eye width anteriorly, vertex about or more than one-half eye 

 width. Frontal bristles in male closely placed, descending three to 

 four below base of antennae. Ocellar bristles present. Vibrissas 

 close to oral margin, facialia with a number of bristles above 

 vibrissae. Parafacials quite narrowed below, widening above. An- 

 tennas inserted on eye-middle. Second antennal joint nearly three 

 times as long as first; third joint narrow, two or. more times as long 

 as second, equilateral in profile, subtruncate at tip. Second aristal 

 joint short but distinct, arista thickened on proximal fourth. Legs 

 rather long, male claws and pulvilli elongate. Wings long and nar- 

 rowed in male, apical cell open well before wing-tip, hind crossvein 

 approximated to bend of fourth vein, small crossvein on middle of 

 discal cell. Abdomen elongate, conico-cylindrical in male. Type, 

 the following species : 



Paradexodes aurifrons, sp. nov. 



One male, North Saugus, Massachusetts (Gipsy Moth Labora- 

 tory, bred in Cage E, 14 July, 1906. No. 698, E. S. G. Titus. Host 

 unknown). 



