VOLITCELLA. — OPHEOMYIA. 



55 



middle, the latter small • cheeks with a dark brown stripe in front ; in profile the face is deeply concave 

 above, with a well-marked tubercle. Antennae reddish-yellow, small, not a third of the leugth of the 

 face, the third joiut scarcely three times as long as wide ; arista well plumose, more than twiee as long 

 as the joint. Thorax yellow, the pectus black ; the mesonotum, except the lateral margins, deep mctallic 

 purple, more yellowish posteriorly. Scutellum yellow, somewhat purplish, with black pile, and the 

 margiu with black bristles, the latter only a little remote at the apex ; no preapical depression. Abdomen 

 light yellow at the base, the posterior margins of the second, third, and fourth segments black, the third 

 and fourth segments, otherwise, more obscure yellowish- or brownish-red. Legs brown, blackish, and 

 obscurely yeilow ; the hind metatarsi lighter yellow. Wings subhyaline, the marginal cell closed in the 

 costa or narrowly open. 

 Length 7 millim. 



The following species have also been described by Bigot from within our limits :— 



Volucella variegata, Bigot, Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1875, p. 478. — Mexico. 



nigrifacies, Bigot, loc. cit. p. 479. — Mexico. 



viridula, Bigot, loc. cit. p. 481. — Mexico. 



tristis, Bigot, loc. cit. p. 482. — Mexico. 



fuhicornis, Bigot, loc. cit. 1883, p. 84. — Panama. 



tau, Bigot, loc. cit. p. 84 ; Willist. Synopsis N.-Am. Syrphidse, p. 143. — 



Mexico, California. 



OPHROMYIA, gen. nov.* 



Male. Allied to Volueella, but differing in the structure of the head. Eyes pilose, broadly separated at the 

 vertex. Antenna? inserted low down, nearly as low as the lower border of the eyes. Front swollen and 

 remarkably broad, of the full width of the face to just below the ocelli, where it becomes suddenly 

 narrowed to about half its previous width. Face short, small, conical, projecting downward, compressed 

 before its tip so as to form a small, rounded snout. Antennse slender, two-thirds as long as the face ; 

 second joint with a projection on the inner side, overlapping the base of the third joint. Arista loosely 

 plumose, but somewhat peculiar in that the plumosity extends quite to the tip, the individual hairs 

 becoming successively longer, and curved backward. Thorax with bristles. "Wings as in Volucella; 

 anterior cross-vein toward the base of the discal cell. 



The two specimens from which this description is drawn were not suspected to be 

 males from the structure of the head. 



1. Ophromyia nasica, sp. n., <$ . (Tab. II. figg. 1, d* ; 1 a, head; 1 b, antenna.) 

 Front and face oily-, or subtranslucent-yellowish-, white, the cheeks with a brown line. Nearly opposite the 

 base of the antennae, close to the eyes, there is a small silvery spot, with a minute brown dot above and 

 below, the lower one at the extremity of a suture running horizontally from the base of the antennae. 

 Front, above, clothed with thick, short, whitish pile. Antenme brownish-red. Mesonotum deep blue, 

 with violet reflections, the lateral margins obscurely yellowish ; pile short, not abundant, whitish ; lateral 

 margins with stout bristles, and a row of more slender bristles before the scutellum. Pleurte yellow and 

 black. Scutellum deep purplish black, with three stout bristles on each lateral margin. Abdomen Hght 

 yellow, subtranslucent ; obscurely brownish distally ; second and third segments with a narrow dark band 

 posteriorly, due in part to the ground-colour, in part to short black hairs. Wings lightly tinged with 



'O^pus, brow ; fiviu, fly. 



