BY FREDERICK A. A. SKUSE. 
1169 
faint appearance at the tip of the auxiliary vein ; beautifully 
iridescent. Auxiliary vein joining the costa a little beyond the 
origin of the third longitudinal ; first longitudinal vein somewhat 
dilated at the tip ; anterior branch of the second longitudinal vein 
joining the costa immediately beyond the tip of the first longitu- 
dinal ; costal extending beyond the tip of the second longitudinal 
vein nearly half the distance from that to the tip of the anterior 
branch of the fork ; second sub-marginal cell narrow, the posterior 
branch of the fork not cpiite reaching the wing margin ; fifth lon- 
gitudinal vein I’eaching the margin of the wing. 
Ilab. —Como and Woronora (Skuse). September. In caves. 
Ohs . — This is the only member of the family in which I have 
observed a pi’oclivity for spiders’ webs. With its legs and wings 
disposed longitudinally it seems fond of hanging inverted from 
a single thread, reminding one forcibly of a sleeping bat. 
Genus 9. Platyura, Meig. 
Platyx(,ra, Meigen, Illig. Mag. II. 1803, p. 261 ; Macquart, S. a 
B. Dipt. I. 1834, p. 141 ; Curtis, Brit. Ent. III. 1826, p. 134 ] 
Stieger, Kr. Tklsskr. 1840, p. 277 ; Zetterstedt, Dipt. Scand. X. 
p. 4078; Walker, Ins. Brit. Dipt. III. 18.56, p. 47 ; Winnertz, 
V. z.-b. G. Wien, XIII. 1863, p. 675. 
Head small, broadly oval, the fore part flattened. Eyes oval, a 
little emarginate on the inner side above. Ocelli three, of unequal 
size, near together in a triangle on the broad front, the middle 
one smaller. Palpi prominent, incurved, four-jointed ; the first 
joint small, second shortened-oval as long or somewhat shorter 
than the third, the third and fourth joints cylindrical, the fourth 
the longest. Antennie as long as the head and thorax together el- 
even longer, rarely shorter ; arcuated, projecting forwards, some- 
what conqu-essed at the sides or cylindrical, gradually dimini.shing 
towards the tip, 2- + 14-jointed ; joints of the scajius distinctly 
set-olF, the first cyathiform, the second one more cupuliform ; 
flagellar joints compact. Thorax oval, highly archeil ; scutellum 
small, almost .semi-circular; metathorax arched. Al)domen slender, 
with .seven segments in both sexes ; flattened, claviform, in the 
