Syrphidae of Maine. 167 



"black. Pile of the mesonotum dusky, that of the scutellum short, sparse, 

 yellow and black mixed. 



First abdominal segment metallic, blue-black the antero-lateral mar- 

 gins broadly yellow. Second segment with an anterior, opaque, black band 

 much attenuated toward, but reaching the extreme lateral margins ; at the 

 middle occupying about one-fourth the length of the segment; joining at 

 the middle to a similar opaque band occupying the posterior three-fifths 

 of the segment. Between these two bands an interrupted, metallic, steel- 

 blue band, most of which is occupied with a yellow spot on each side, atten- 

 uated mesad and strongly bent forward about the lateral third, not reach- 

 ing the anterior margin. Third segment with an entire steel-blue anterior 

 cross-band occupying one-third the length of the segment and underlaid 

 with a pair of sub-triangular, yellow spots, which reach the lateral mar- 

 gins in their full width but are distinctly, though narrowly separated from 

 the anterior margin except at the extreme corners. The two spots are 

 separated from each other by more than half their maximum width. Pos- 

 terior three-fifths of the segment opaque black. Fourth segment similar. 

 Fifth similar to third and fourth except that the posterior band is propor- 

 tionately narrower and less opaque and the yellow spots only about half 

 as long, reaching the anterior margin on their outer part and even en- 

 croaching minutely on the preceding segment. Remaining segments shin- 

 ing blue-black. Venter with a broad, black band on each of the principal 

 segments . Pubescence at base of abdomen moderately long, delicate, whit- 

 ish; elsewhere short, sparse, colored like the integument. 



Fore and middle legs pale yellow except slight infuscation on basal 

 half of femora and at tip of tibiae; hind femur black except broad base 

 and tip, the tibia infuscated on outer part and the hind tarsi much so. Pile 

 of legs whitish. Length 7 mm. 



This species approaches the genus Xanthogramma but the 

 indistinctness of the yellow on the thoracic margins and pleurae, 

 and especially the slender abdomen with long pile at the base are 

 sufficient to place it in Syrphus. 



The types are in the author's collection. Cotypes in the col- 

 lection of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station. It should 

 be stated that in these reared specimens the abdomens upon dry- 

 ing have shrunken and curled under so as to present a very dif- 

 ferent appearance (See Fig. 10, H) from that of the fresh speci- 

 mens from which Figure 10, C and the description were taken. 



Platychirus perpallidus Verrall. 



This British species described -by Verrall in 1901, and not 

 hitherto recorded from America, has probably been confused 

 with P. qiiadratiis Say, to which it is closely allied. The t--o spe- 

 cies may be distinguished as follows : 



