PHTIIIIUA. 285 



considerably longer than 2nd, 3rd vein forked, the 2nd sub- 

 niarginal cell elengate ; anterior cross-vein at about middle of 

 discal cell ; anal cell closed just before wing-border. 



Range. World-wide. 



Life-history unknown. 



The adults occur on bare patches of ground among low-growing 

 flowers, and on Composite. 



227. Phthiria gracilis, Wall: 



Phthiria gracilis, "Walker, Ins. Saund., Dipt. pt. 3, p. 194 (1852). 



S $ . Head in S black ; vertex very small, dark grey, with 

 three or four short black hairs ; ocelli dark ruby-red, shining ; 

 eyes closely contiguous for nearly all the distance to the small 

 protruding triangular dark grey frons, which bears a few black 

 hairs; mouth-opening extremely large, extending from immediately 

 below base of antennae to lower part of head, black ; face and 

 under part of head black, both with long black hairs : antennae 

 black ; 1st and 2nd joints as long as wide, subglobular, with two 

 or three short black hairs each, 3rd joint narrower, flattened, 

 about two and a half times as long as first two together, with 

 microscopic depressed pubescence and a short style-like prolonga- 

 tion at tip on upper side; proboscis as long as whole body, black, 

 slender, gently curved ; palpi half as long as head, porrect, black. 

 Head in 2 bright orange-yellow ; frons at vertex about half as 



Fig. 20. — Phthiria gracilis, Walk., wing. 



wide as at level of antennas, where it forms nearly one-third the 

 width of the head ; a broad black stripe from vertex to above 

 antenna?, sometimes wholly interrupted in middle ; ocelli distinct ; 

 sides of face between antennas and eyes blackish ; occiput black, 

 broadly orange behind eye-margins, the colour not extending 

 behind the vertex. Thorax in $ dark blackish brown, with a 

 little short dark brown pubescence, which is longer towards the 

 sides of the dorsum; scutellum concolorous. In $ greenish grey, 

 lower margin of dorsum rather broadly though somewhat irregu- 

 larly pale yellowish ; scutellum yellow, with a small blackish spot 

 at base. Abdomen in <S black, with long black hairs, hind margins 

 of basal segments more or less narrowly yellow. In § yellowish, 

 with short, brown, not very obvious pubescence ; base of segments 



