i/ONcnopxEKA. 389 



whole order of the Diptera, of being different in the two sexes ; 

 the 6th vein in the S running straight to the wing-margin, 

 •whereas in the 5 it turns up towards its tip, meeting the 5th vein 

 at some distance from the margin, thus forming a long closed cell. 



The species are mainly brown or yellowish in colour and small 

 in size, frequenting hedges, low-growing plants, shady nooks, 

 grassy fields, and similar situations. 



Range. Europe; the common L. lutea, with some of its varieties, 

 extends to North America and to the East. One species is known 

 from Rhodesia. 



Life-history unknown ; the larva? live in decomposing vegetable 

 •matter and have been found under leaves. 



■326.- Lonclioptera ? iutea, Panz* 



Lonchoptera lutea, Panzer, Faun. Germ, cviii, pis. 20, 21 (1809) ; 

 Scliiner, Faun. Austr. i, p. 243 (1862) ; de Meijere, Tijd. v. Ent. 

 xlix, p. 64 (1900). 



S • Head yellowish brown, a little paler on underside ; eyes and 

 antennas black ; ocellar triangle blackish ; a row of fine rather 

 weak vertical bristles; 2 post-vertical, all little more than hairs ; 

 1 ooellar, 1 upper fronto-orbital, 1 lower fron to-orbital (near 

 antennae), all three strong ; numerous bristles of different sizes 

 around mouth and lower part of head. Thorax uniformly bright 

 shining brown ; a definite though not clearly-outlined median 

 •dark stripe from anterior to posterior margin, carried broadly over 

 scutellum to its tip; a pair of very weak bristles or stiff hairs on 

 anterior margin, 4 definite dorso-centrals, 1 on hind corner of 

 dorsum in a line with the hindmost pair of dorso-centrals ; 

 3 supra-alars ; 3 or 4 on pleurae, 1 below humeral region, 1 post- 

 sutural, 1 scutellar (apical). Abdomen dark brown, sometimes 

 light yellowish brown at sides towards tip; extreme tip (viewed 

 from behind) with a small white clot; venter yellowish brown. 

 Legs brownish yellow ; extreme tips of tarsi and pulvilli blackish. 

 Wings yellowish, iridescent; venation normal; halteres yellowish. 



Length, 2\ mm. 



Described from a S from Coonoor in the Pusa collection, 

 4. ix. 1911, " sweeping roadside ,: (Hoivlett). 



In two specimens from Dariiling, 6900 ft., 29. v. 1910 (Brunetti), 

 the bacK of the head is all yellow, though this character probably 

 has no importance. In one of the specimens the abdomen is 

 yellowish, in the other nearly as dark as in the Coonoor example. 



Thie appears to be the L. lutea, Panz., of Europe and other 

 regions, though there are no specimens in good condition for 

 comparison. Dr. de Meijere very kindly at my request sent 



* In a comprehensive revision of the European species of this genus 

 Dr. de Meijere gives a full list of the varieties and references to this common 

 .species. The accepted varieties are cinerea, Meij., flavicauda, Mg., nitidifrons, 

 Strobl. , palustris, Mg., and trilineata, Zet.t., and the synonyms are numerous, 

 but are not repeated here in case the identification of the species should be 

 incorrect. 



