Dec, 1908.] Brues : North American Phoriiu . 201 



Plastophora juli, new species. 



Female. Length, including the extruded ovipositor, 2 mm. Brownish yellow, 

 the ocellar tubercle, tips of posterior femora and abdomen, except narrow margins <>f 

 segments 2-5, black. Head normal, front wider than high, the ocellar tubercle and 

 median groove well developed, four proclinate seta;, the lower pair considerably 

 smaller; lowest reel inate row of four setre, forming with the upper proclinate pair a 

 slightly curved equidistant series; middle row equidistant, nearly straight; ocellar 

 row very large and strong. Cheeks each with two stout macrochaetse below and a 

 weaker pair both anteriorly and posteriorly. Palpi large, of normal shape, with 

 moderate bristles. Antenna; oval, the arista distinctly dorsal, thinly pubescent. 

 Mesonotum elongate and narrower than usual ; scutellum more than one half as long 

 as broad ; one pair of dorsocentral macrochretre and four scutellar bristles. Abdomen 

 to the tip of the sixth segment of the usual form, the seventh long, tubular, encasing 

 the base of the extruded ovipositor; the latter compressed, knife-shaped, and slightly 

 arcuated downward toward the tip which is obliquely truncate.' Second to fifth 

 segments gradually decreasing in length, sixth, seventh and ovipositor longer, sub- 

 equal, each slightly longer than the second. Second segment with a lateral bunch 

 of bristly hairs. Legs rather slender, setae on middle and hind tibia? weak and short 

 although distinct. Wings yellowish hyaline, veins pale brown ; costal vein reaching 

 very slightly beyond the middle of the wing, its bristles of moderate length and closely 

 placed. Tip of first vein slightly, but distinctly nearer the tip of the third than the 

 humeral cross-vein ; fork of third vein obtuse, the second vein nearly perpen- 

 dicular to the costa and enclosing a large cell ; four light veins; fourth vein evenly 

 but slightly curved ; fifth, sixth, and seventh but little curved, the fifth as far from 

 the wing tip as the fourth. Halteres pale yellow. 



Described from two specimens collected by Dr. S. Graenicher at 

 Milwaukee, Wis., during July, 1908, and very generously given to me 

 for study. He found them attacking a small myriapod (Jtt/its sp. ) 

 upon which they were attempting to oviposit. From this the species 

 is undoubtedly a parasite of these myriapods, although an attempt 

 to breed a second generation of the flies failed, probably on account 

 of the premature death of the Ju/us in captivity. 



This is the second species of the genus to be discovered in North 

 America. It differs from P. crawfordii Coq. ( 1907) by its oval anten- 

 nae and differently shaped ovipositor as well as in minor details. The 

 latter is an ant parasite attacking the well-known lire-ant (Soienopsis 

 geminata) in Texas. 



