igoS.] Records of the Indian Museum. 6i 



V. basalis, mihi, sp. nov. (PI. xi, figs, ii, 12. 'l 

 2 . vSikkim district (Mungphu). Long. 16 mm. 



Head entirely bright orange, frons narrows towards vertex, 

 which is black ; mouth-border brown ; proboscis and extreme lower 

 part of cheeks black ; eyes bare. The face is considerably produced 

 into a large snout, which is cut away just below the antennae ; 

 antennse small, orange. 



Thorax moderately shining black, bare, sides black ; scutellum 

 very dark brown, almost bare, except for a row of strong bristles 

 near posterior edge. 



Abdomen black, a little shining, almost bare; the basal half 

 of the 2nd segment occupied by a large transverse livid yellow 

 elongated spot, which is contracted in the middle behind and does 

 not reach the sides of the segment except at the extreme base, where 

 it joins a large livid spot on the same segment of the belly. 



Legs all black and bare. 



Wings grey, yellow at base, a yellowish brown suffusion from 

 the centre of the costa reaching half way to the posterior border, 

 and a similar suffusion at the wing- tip extending inwards just 

 beyond the subapical and postical cross-veins. Halteres yellow. 



Described from one 9 in the Indian Museum collection. 



This species bears a considerable general resemblance to the 

 V . pellncens, L., of Europe, but in that species the whole of the 2nd 

 segment is livid yellow, the colour passing over the side of the 

 segment in its full width, whereas in basalis it is narrowed to the 

 extreme base of the segment ; also in pellucens the sides of the 

 thorax along their upper edge are always brownish yellow, of which 

 there is no trace in my species ; moreover, the scutellum in pel- 

 lucens is bright tawny, whereas in basalis it is nearly black. 



V. ruficauda, mihi, sp. nov. (PI. xi, fig. 13.) 

 cf $ . Sikkim. Long. 14-15 mm. 



Head black, epistome well produced, shining black ; eyes 

 densely hairy in & , distinctly hairy in 9 , but to a much less ex- 

 tent ; vertex crowned by a tuft of long bright yellow hairs ; eyes in 

 $ separated by narrow shining black frons. Antennse ferruginous ; 

 first two joints nearly black. 



Thorax black with black hair, dorsum covered with dense long 

 bright ferruginous red hair which also covers the bright ferruginous 

 red scutellum. 



Abdomen black with rather thick black hair ; posterior border 

 of 3rd segment and the whole of the 4th and 5th segments covered 

 with yellowish red hair. Belly entireh' black, with black hair. 



Legs slender, wholly black with short black hair. 



Wings pale yellowish grey, a rather large brown irregular spot 

 in the centre of the fore border, and reaching half-wa}' across the 



