104 KANSAS UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY. 



approach the base. As is seen in the figure of the wing of Psilocephala 

 (see plate), the first longitudinal vein is very short, terminating only 

 a little beyond the middle of the wing, while in Apiocera, as well as 

 the Asilidae, it terminates far beyond the middle. This difference is, 

 I believe, of more importance than the resemblances in the structure 

 of the head. The Nemistrinidae need not detain us. Any arguments 

 in favor of relationship with this family will apply more forcibly to 

 the Mydaidae. 



Does Apiocera belong with the Mydaidae? Osten Sacken says 

 not, for the following reasons : 



"To sum up, Apiocera differs from the Midaidae : i. In the pres- 

 ence of ocelli; 2. In the presence of macrochaetae on head and 

 thorax ; 3. In the structure of the scutellum ; 4. In the structure 

 of the legs ; 5. In the presence of palpi : 6. In the venation ; 7. In 

 the structure of the male forceps ; 8. In the usual character of the 

 coloring" (17). 



1. Hardly a family character. Among the Tabanidae, for instance, 

 the presence or absence of well-developed ocelli is recognized as 

 having a specific valuation only. 



2. In all my ioMv ST^ecies oi Apiocera dirv(\m Rhaphio??iidas,th.e.re are 

 no bristles on the front ; the same is the case with the species described 

 by Philippi (24). In Rhaphiomidas they are weak on the thorax. 



3. There is a well-marked difference in the structure of the scutel- 

 lum, but it is quite as much in the direction of the Nemistrinidae as 

 of the Asilidae. 



4. In my opinion, the weakness of the legs allies Apiocera more 

 closely to the Mydaidae than to the Asilidae. 



5. Well developed palpi, quite like those of Rliaphiotnidas, occur 

 in at least one genus of the true Mydaidae. Thomson describes the 

 palpi of his genus Harrnophana as biarticulate, but in this he is 

 undoubtedly in error r2 7). Jaennicke recognized the palpi in Tricloniis 

 bispifiifer (S), and Macquart in both T. bispinifer and T, luripennis. 

 It is strange that Gerstaecker entirely overlooked this character. 



6. The venation agrees closely with that of the Mydaidae, save in 

 the shorter discal cell, a Nemistrinid character. 



7. Apiocera differs noticeably from the Mydaidae in the general 

 coloration, agreeing in this respect best with the Therevidae. 



Had Osten Sacken been able to study Triclonus and Rhaphiomidas, 

 I feel sure that he would have modified some of his views. In the first 

 place, the neuration is remarkably alike, as will be seen by the ex- 

 aminations of the figures here given, and Thomson's figure of Har- 

 rnophana. (27 pi. IX, fig. 5.) This marked neurational resemblance was 

 observed by Osten Sacken in his original description of Rhaphiomidas, 



