TACHINIDAE OF ORIENTAL REGION 257 



Lypha Robineau-Desvoidy (of which Aporomya is a synonym). Further examination of the 

 syntypes by myself and I)r C. W. Sabrosky has shown that incivica is undoubtedly a synonym 

 of the North American Lypha melobosis (Walker), and therefore that the syntypes must have 

 had a Nearctic provenance. The new synonymy involved is here formally established : 

 Lypha incivica (Walker), syn. n. of Lypha melobosis (Walker, 1849). 



Megistogaster fuscipennis Macquart, 1851 : 186 (213). Putative provenance 'Java'. Holo- 

 type o", BMNH (ex coll. Bigot), London, examined. This nominal species belongs in the 

 South American genus Covdyligaster Macquart (of which Megistogaster Macquart is a synonym) 

 and is synonymous with C. petiolata (Wiedemann). A Neotropical provenance for fuscipennis 

 has long been accepted (see Guimaraes, 1971 : 111). 



Mijobia nigripes Doleschall, 1856 1411 (Myobia on plate fig). Java. Not Tachinidae, 

 Doleschall's illustration (Tab. v, fig. 3) showing clearly that this nominal species belongs 

 to the Muscidae. Mr Adrian Pont, specialist on Muscidae, tells me that nigripes is almost 

 certainly assignable to the genus Gymnodia Robineau-Desvoidy and that he will be assigning 

 it to this genus in the Muscidae part of the 'Catalog of the Diptera of the Oriental Region' 

 (University of Hawaii Press, Vol. 3). 



Phorocera vagator Frauenfeld, 1867 : 455. Putative provenance 'Ceylon'. Holotype 9, 

 NM, Vienna, examined. Brauer & Bergenstamm ( 1 8*> 1 : )y)) placed vagator in their newly 

 proposed genus Neomintho, together with two Brazilian species, one of which (viz. heros 

 Schiner) they indicated by query mark as possibly synonymous with vagator. Examination 

 of the holotype of vagator for the present work indicated that the cited provenance of Ceylon 

 is undoubtedly wrong, as vagator belongs to the New World genus Palpexorista Townsend - to 

 which P. heros (Schiner) also belongs. However, it appears nearly certain that vagator is 

 the female of P. longiuscula (Walker), also from South America, and not conspecific with 

 heros. The vagator holotvpe has been sent for study also to 1 >r I). M. Wood in Ottawa, who 

 is currently revising the New World Exoristini, and lie confirm^ thai vagator is a Palpexorista 

 probably identical with longiuscula : it is expected that he will establish the definite synonymy 

 of vagator with longiuscula in a forthcoming paper. (It may be added that it is perhaps 

 not surprising that an erroneous provenance was recorded because the specimen was caught 

 aboard the ship 'Novara' during its voyage and landfalls had been made in South America.) 



Tachina alta Walker, 1852 : 293. Putative provenance 'Madras or Calcutta ?'. Holotype 

 ? o* or $, unrecognizable fragment remaining early this century destroyed by Austen (see 

 Austen, 1907 : 330). Despite loss of the type it is considered that this nominal species was 

 not Oriental. The doubtfully recorded provenance is in exactly the same form as that given 

 for Tachina tricincta Walker (see below), and the till recently surviving type of this 

 nominal species shows that it is a New World form. The probability, therefore, is that the 

 type-specimen of T. alta was also collected in a New World locality, and the name should 

 therefore be accounted for in the American (not the Oriental) literature. 



Tachina lithanthrax Wiedemann, 1830 : 283. Putative provenance 'Java'. Holotype o\ 

 UZM, Copenhagen, examined. This is a South African species and the type is labelled as 

 from the Cape of Good Hope; the published type-locality is erroneous (see v. Emden, i960 : 

 482, where lithanthrax is assigned to the genus Peleteria Robineau-Desvoidy). 



Tachina macularis Wiedemann, 1824 145. 'India orient.'. Not Tachinidae, belongs to the 

 tribe Miltogrammini of Sarcophagidae (see Townsend, 1931a : 379). 



Tachina salva Wiedemann, 1830 : 340. Putative provenance 'China'. Holotype ?, UZM, 

 Copenhagen, examined. This is a South African species and the type is labelled as from 

 Cape of Good Hope; the published type-locality is erroneous (see Crosskey, 1966a : 661). 

 It is a valid species of Palexorista Townsend (see Crosskey, 1966c : 136). 



Tachina tricinta Walker, 1852 : 301. Putative provenance 'Madras or Calcutta ?'. Holotype 

 $ (badly shattered in pieces), BMNH, London, examined. Austen (1907 : 330) placed this 

 nominal species in Frontina Meigen s.l. but this is incorrect. Examination of the remains 

 of the type clearly shows that tricincta Walker belongs to the New World (and mainly 

 Nearctic) genus Doryphorophaga Townsend, and therefore that the putative provenance of 

 'Madras or Calcutta ?' is erroneous. The name Tachina tricincta Walker pertains to the 



