
TACHINIDAE OF AUSTRALIA 55 
— Propleuron haired . : . EUSTACOMYIA Malloch 
3 Wing with cell R; open to te wing eet oil bend of vein M sharp and provided 
with a definite short M, appendix . : : . APALPOSTOMA Malloch 
— Wing with cell R,; closed at or before the wing margin (usually short petiolate) and 
bend of vein M without trace of appendix . PALPOSTOMA Robineau-Desvoidy 
{The extralimital genera Hamaxia and Hamaxiomima differ from Palpostoma 
only in having cell R,; narrowly open at the wing margin, like Apalpostoma. The 
closure of cell R, probably should not be considered sufficient for generic separa- 
tion and Hamaxia and Hamaxiomima would be best placed as synonyms of 
Palpostoma on a redefined basis. Similarly Apalpostoma should probably be 
merged with Palpostoma if the presence of a short M, appendix at the bend of 
M is the only remaining distinction] 
Tribe MYIOTRIXINI 
Townsend (1936) erected this tribe for the single genus Myiotrvixa Brauer & 
Bergenstamm. This-is a very aberrant tachinid that is still known only from the 
male holotype of WM. prosopina in the Vienna Museum. The affinities of this species 
are very obscure and it is therefore appropriate to retain it in its own tribe until 
its relationships can be determined. The general appearance of the head with 
its very reduced antennae, lack of vibrissae and broadly dilated flattened setulose 
facialia is reminiscent of certain ormiines or ormiine-like forms and there may be 
some relationship between Myzotvixa and these forms, or perhaps with the 
Palpostomatini; any suggestions on the affinities are mere guesswork, however, 
in the absence of any knowledge of the female, the early stages or the host relations 
(the overall appearance conveys the impression that Myiotrixa might parasitize 
beetles but there is no evidence for this at present); possibly the Myiotrixini should 
be placed in Proseninae. 
As Myvotrixa has been rather poorly described up to now, and not previously 
figured, the opportunity is here taken to provide a figure (Text-fig. 40) of the curious 
head and a description of the principal characters shown by the type-specimen 
(the thorax of the holotype is badly damaged where it is pierced by the large 
mounting pin but the specimen is otherwise in fair condition and most of the 
characters can be made out without difficulty: it appears that the specimen was 
still rather teneral when collected as the lunula and antennal bases are still partially 
retracted). 
Head profile as in Text-fig. 40; eyes rather strongly oblique, with very short sparse hairing; 
vertex about twice as wide as the antennae, slightly sunken around the ocellar triangle; ocelli 
present, ocellar setae absent; head drawn down anteroventrally so that in profile it forms 
a rather sharp angle at the epistomal margin; epistome completely invisible in profile, 
completely flat and equibroad with the face, very sharply differentiated from facialia; facial 
ridges evanescent above but expanded and flattened below and reaching to anteroventral 
corners of the head; genal dilation well developed, obliquely reaching to anteroventral corner 
of the head; gena about one-fifth of eye height; parafacials very narrow, at mid point much 
narrower than the antennae; interfrontal area well developed, about twice as wide as a 
parafrontal. Inner vertical setae convergent, outer vertical setae present and strong; frontal 
setae in about eight pairs, inclinate and crossed, rows not reaching much below level of the 
lunula; two pairs of long fine erect orbital setae that are scarcely differentiated from the 
