PROSOPOCHKYSA. — MICROCHRYSA. 87 



one-fifth width of head, slightly tinged with blue, brilliant violet 

 immediately above antennae. Thorax punctate, wholly brilliantly 

 shining metallic blue or blue-green, with very short whitish 

 pubescence. Abdomen metallic black or dark bronze-green, with 

 very short sparse whitish pubescence, which is a little longer 

 round margin and tip ; venter darker, nearly black. Legs black, 

 with microscopic pubescence : all the tarsi yellowish white except 



Fig. 6. — Prosojxchrysa vitripennis, I)ol., wing. 



at tips. Wings clear, veins and stigmatic region )^ellowish ; 3rd 

 vein simple, straight, ending at some distance before wing-tip ; 

 halteres apple-green. 



Length, 5 mm. 



Redescribed from two <S 6 and three § $ in the Indian 

 Museum, and some in the Pusa collection. 



Genus MICROCHRYSA, Lw. 



Microchrysa, Loew, Verb. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, v, p. 146 (1855) ; 



Brunetti, Rec. Ind. Mus. i, p. 103 (1907). 

 Clorisoma, Rondani, Dipt. Ital. Prod, i, p. 168 (1856). 

 Chlorosia, Rondani, op. cit. iv, p. 11 (1861). 



Genotype, Musca polita, L. (Europe) ; by original designation. 



Head broader than thorax, face small, slightly pubescent ; 

 occiput concave in <5 , posterior eye-orbits distinct in $ ; ocelli 

 equidistant ; eyes bare, in S contiguous, upper facets larger than 

 lower ones, in $ widely separated, facets equal in size. Antenna? 

 of typical Sargid form, 3rd joint with four annulations, arista 

 practically apical. Thorax longer than broad, slightly wider 

 behind, shining metallic, with short dense inconspicuous pu- 

 bescence. Abdomen very short, rounded, shining : pubescence 

 extremely short, though sometimes dense. Legs simple, tibiae 

 sometimes slightly dilated apically. Wings of normal Sargid type, 

 terminations of 4th vein less parallel; thoracic squamae more 

 normally shaped than in Sargus, pubescent. 



In all minor characters mainly as in Sargus. 



Range. Europe, Asia, South Africa, North and South America. 



Life-history. The common M. polita, L., of Europe, seems to 

 breed freely in cow-dung and decaying vegetable matter. 



M. calopa differs from M.flaviventris, in which the abdomen is 

 unicolorous, by a narrow pale border along the sides and tip, 



