XXXIII. INDIAN PSYCHODID.^. 

 By B. Brunetti. 



Until Phlebotomus argentipes was described by Dr. Annandale 

 and myself in an earlier number of this Journal (vol. ii, p. loi), no 

 species of this family had been described from the East. I there- 

 fore now offer descriptions of fourteen Indian species ^ the types of 

 which are in the Indian Museum collection. 



For the common Calcutta species, Psychoda bengalensis, 1 was 

 about to erect a new genus, the flagellum of the antenna apparently 

 consisting of only ten instead of thirteen or fourteen joints, but on 

 a microscopic examination of fresh specimens, thirteen joints are 

 plainly visible, the last three being exceedingly small. This fact I 

 had overlooked, but the oversight was pointed out to me by 

 Dr. Annandale ; to which gentleman I desire to express my thanks 

 for a considerable amount of assistance in the microscopic examina- 

 tions in this group, and especially in the stud}^ of the genital 

 apparatus ; for it is mainly due to help thus received that I have 

 had the courage to attack this family at all. 



Many of the species herein characterised will be fairly easil)^ 

 recognised by some character found in none of the others. Many 

 of them are described from the females only, but the sexes do not 

 appear to differ, in those species of which both are known, except in 

 the generative organs. 



These organs in the male are apparently more or less 

 uniformly shaped in all the species, consisting (in those species before 

 me, in which this sex is present) of two pairs of appendages, the 

 lower pair much the larger, and clothed with dense, long hairs. 

 In the female this apparatus also appears very uniformly shaped 

 in all the species, and consists of a moderately large, scythe-like, 

 chitinous appendage, evidently capable of erection or depression, 

 also of protrusion or withdrawal, for in some specimens it is erect, 

 in others horizontal, and in others not visible at all. Dr. 

 Annandale found that upon pressure from above, it is seen to be 

 formed of two symmetrical valves, and below it are two very 

 small, single-jointed, palpus-like organs, apparently springing from 

 a common base. These I have not observed in all the species, but 

 they are probably present. 



In Phlebotomus no ovipositor is visible. I do not touch upon 

 Phlebotomus , however, in this paper, as Dr. Annandale is occupied 

 with a study of the Indian species of this genus. 



