NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



be referred to any of the Say or Fitch species (11); there is no probabil- 

 ity of its being identical with any one of the three Greenland species; 

 and in the absence of types, it would be a loss of time to search for it 

 among the five Walker species. From S. ochrolabis Loew--New 

 York — it would be ruled out by its want of ochreous spots. There 

 would then remain but three species for comparison, viz.: S. nigra 

 Wied. — Savannah; rotondipennis Macq. — Carolina; and sciophila 

 Loew — Dist. Colum. In the improbability of its being one of these, 

 it is herewith described as a new species. The excellent illustrations 

 of it, as also of the two following species, have been made by my assist- 

 ant, Mr. E. P. Felt. 



Its Description. 



Sciara COPROPHILA n. sp. Larva — Length when full grown 8 mm. Head 

 jet black, small, broadly ovate, and more or less retractile into the anterior 

 segment. Body whitish ; subcylindrical , tapering slightly 

 toward each end; smooth and indistinctly divided into 

 twelve segments ; the dark contents of the convoluted ali- 

 mentary canal may be seen readily through the semitrans- 

 parent body-walls ; terminal segment usually bent abrupt- 

 ly downward (Fig. 4). 



Details of head. — Clypeus subtriangular, emarginate ante- 

 riorly, and with a pair of very large punctures, probably 

 setigerous, at the anterior third, and three smaller ones in each 



Fig. 4. -Larva of anterio-lateral corner; two pairs of the smaller punctures 

 Sciara coprophila. _f . . r , . 



occur on the front close to the clypeus, one at its anterior, 



the other at the posterior third ; a number of very small punctures on the clypeus 

 and close to it are represented by dots in figure 5e; several more lateral punctures 

 occur on the epicranium. Labrum ; basal portion chitinous, narrow and with 

 a large median tooth ; distal portion broad, semimembranous, emarginate 

 anteriorly, and bearing internally three groups of spines on each side of the 

 median line ; the anterio-lateral group consists of a slightly curved row of six, 

 the middle group of three closely set, and the posterior group of about three ; 

 the anterior and middle groups are represented in figure 5a. Antennae composed 

 of one segment, conical, chitinous ; located close to lateral angles of clypeus. 

 Mandibles stout ; three large teeth, one smaller internal tooth (Fig. 5b). Max- 

 illa composed of a small basal portion and a large distal part ; basal portion 

 composed of two pieces ; an external piece bearing two punctures along 

 its distal margin, and an inner piece with a prominent internal spine near the 

 basal third; distal portion strongJy concave internall} T , apparently divided 

 longitudinally; inner edge armed with six well-marked teeth and a smaller 

 basal tooth; two large punctures occur at the apical fifth, one on each piece; 

 on the apex of the external piece there is a larger oval puncture, in which lies 

 the rudimentary palpus (Osten Sacken); internal piece with a puncture near 

 middle (Fig. 5c, d). On ventral surface of head there is a large cordate mem- 



