Mat,1S93.] INSECTS OF THE DEATH VALLEY EXPEDITION. 255 



as long as broad, and about one-third the length of first joint; third joint longer 

 than the first two together, a little thickened at the base, slender on the distal half, 

 terminating in a minute bristle. Frontal triangle with a median impression; tri- 

 angle and face clothed with abundant pile. Oral opening large, its upper margin 

 nearly opposite the middle of the eyes. Proboscis long, palpi slender. Thorax and 

 abdomen clothed with thick, bushy pile. Abdomen a little longer than the thorax 

 and abdomen together. Legs not strong; ungues gently curved; pulvilli about 

 half of the length of the claws, distinct. Three marginal cells present, the neura- 

 tion otherwise as in Bombylivs. Front light-grayish pollinose, clothed with black 

 hairs in the middle. First two joints of the antennas with abundant black hair. 

 Face with abundant light-yellowish hair, intermixed with black; the uppermost 

 part of the face in ground-color is black; along the oral margin, reaching the eyes, 

 broadly yellow. Cheeks black, grayish pollinose. Antenna?, palpi, and proboscis 

 black. Pile of the occiput light yellowish or white. Thorax and seutellum opaque 

 black, but almost wholly obscured by the long and abundant light yellow or white 

 pile. Abdomen with long and abundant light yellowish or white pile; the sides of 

 the second segment and the terminal segment with bushy, black hair. Legs black. 

 Wings dark brown, more yellowish along the costa, and lighter colored distally. 

 Length, ll mra . 



One specimen, Panamint Valley, Calif., April, 1891. The species is in all respects 

 a Bombylius with three submarginal cells. 

 Comastes sackeni n. sp. 



Female. — Differs from C. robmtus in the smaller size, the presence of black hairs 

 on the face and thorax, the wholly black seutellum, which is without bristles on its 

 margin, in the abdomen being rather uniformly clothed with shorter white pile, in- 

 termixed with numerous long black hairs, and in the greater infuscatiou of the basal 

 portion of the wings. The femora and tibia? are black. Length, 9 mm . 



One specimen, Argus Mountains, Calif., May, 1892. 

 Geron, n. sp. 



A single, injured specimen, agreeing somewhat with specimens of G. albidipennis, 

 but apparently different. Death Valley, Calif., May. 

 Lordotus sororculus n. sp. 



Deep black, shining. Face, first two joints of the antenna} and the front clothed 

 wholly with deep black pile. First anteuual joint about half of the length of the 

 slender third joint, the second joint but little longer than wide. Pile of the occiput, 

 yellowish gray; that of the mesonotum and seutellum of the same color, abundant; 

 some black pile on the pectus. Seutellum convex, without impression or groove. 

 Knob of the halteres, yellow. Abdomen, both above aud below, with long, nearly- 

 white pile. Legs black, with light-yellowish tomentum and black pile. Wings, 

 pure hyaline. Length, 8' lim . 



Two specimens, Coso Valley, May 21, and Kern County, Calif. 

 Melanostoma n. sp. 



A single male specimen from Argus Mountains, Calif., May, 1891, evidently belongs 

 to an undescribed species. It is nearest related to M. ccerulescens Will., but has the 

 abdomen oval and elongate. 



Oncunyia abbreviata Loew. Williston, etc. 



A single specimen of this widely distributed insect from Panamint Valley, Calif., 

 April, 1891. 



Pipunculus aridus n. sp. 



Male. — Front and face black, with silvery pubescence. Antennas black; third 

 joint silvery on the_ lower part, produced below into a spinous point. Thorax black, 

 dorsum a little shifung, faintly brownish dusted on the disk. Abdomen greenish 

 black, shining. Legs black; the immediate tip of the femora, the base of the tibias, 



