TACHINIDAE OF ORIENTAL REGION 139 



CESTONIA-group 



Head shape normal. Eyes bare. Facial ridges setulose for at least one-third of their height, 

 not visible in profile. Parafacials bare. Frontal setae weakly reclinate. Two or three pairs 

 of reclinate orbital setae. Upper occiput completely flat, without black setulae behind the 

 postocular row. $ without proclinate orbital setae. Arista normal, basal segments short. 

 Humeral callus with two setae. 2 + 4 dc setae. Two stpl setae, sometimes a small third 

 stpl seta present midway between the main two or closer to the posterior one. Y\ ing cell R b 

 closed and very long-petiolate (petiole as long as or nearly as long as m-cn). Bend of vein 

 M abruptly angulate and unusually far from wing margin, last section of Cu x equivalently 

 long. Second costal sector bare ventrally. Mid tibia with one ad seta. Hind tibia without 

 pd preapical seta. 



Included genera. Cestonia Rondani, also the Australian genus Phorocerostoma 

 Malloch. 



This group is known so far in the Oriental Region only from Sri Lanka, where 

 an undetermined species of Cestonia (possibly new) occurs. The group is found 

 in eastern Australia, being represented there by Malloch's Phorocerostoma, a genus 

 only very doubtfully distinct from Cestonia. The only difference between these 

 genera that has been found is that the bristling on the facial ridges is stronger and 

 extends up the whole height of the ridges in Phorocerostoma, whereas it is rather 

 weak and confined to the lower half or less of the ridges in Cestonia. When ade- 

 quately revised it will probably prove appropriate to sink Phorocerostoma in synonymy 

 with Cestonia. 



Apart from the unusually long petiole to cell 7v 5 the group is unusual in having 

 2 + 4 dc setae instead of the normal 3 + 4. The only other Oriental eryciine 

 genus in which the 2 + 4 complement occurs is Diatraeophaga with which, however, 

 there is quite obviously no close phyletic relationship. The head form, short 

 antennae, slightly raised vibrissae in relation to the epistome, and the general 

 appearance of colour, pollinosity and abdominal shape, suggest that the Cestonia- 

 Phorocerostoma complex might be phyletically close to Nealsomyia and Chlorogas- 

 tropsis, and thus perhaps to Buquetia (see above). 



PHEBELLIA -group 



Head shape normal. Eyes densely haired. Facial ridges bare or at most haired on lower 

 third, ridges sometimes widely visible in profile. Parafacials bare. Frontal setae not reclinate. 

 Two or three pairs of reclinate o r bital setae. Upper occiput flat, without black setulae behind 

 the postocular row (a very few haphazard and inconspicuous black setulae present immediately 

 adjacent to the postocular row in ' Aplomyia carceliaeformis). £ without proclinate orbital 

 setae. Arista normal, basal segments short. Humeral callus with three main setae standing 

 in a regular triangle. 3 + 4 dc setae. 2-3 stpl setae. Wing with cell i? 5 open. Bend of 

 vein M moderately strongly abrupt, without M 2 appendix. Second costal sector bare ventrally. 

 Mid tibia either with one or more than one ad seta. Hind tibia without pd preapical seta. 



Included genera. Phebellia Robineau-Desvoidy and Rhinaplomyia Mesnil; 

 also some generically unplaced species belonging near Phebellia. 



This group corresponds exactly to the Phebelliariae of Mesnil (1953a : 295) and 

 is differentiated at once from other Oriental Eryciini by the characteristic arrange- 



