A NEW APIOCERA FROM SOUTH AFRICA * 
By a. L. Mklandkr, 
Professor of Entomolog-y, The State Colleg-e of Washinglion. 
The family Apioceridse is small. About a dozen species are 
known the world over, and of these about one-half are from 
North America. According to a recent catalogue of African 
diptera,"^"^' by Professor Mario Bezzi, no African species of this 
group has been described. Apioceridse live in the arid plains 
of the Western States, but, with the exception of Apiocera 
haruspex Osten Sacken, they are quite rare. 
In a most interesting collection of Diptera received from Dr. 
Hans Brauns of Willowmor, Cape Colony, I find a beautiful spe- 
cies of this archaic group. It gives me much pleasure to dedicate 
the species to this observant entomologist. The collections sent 
by Dr. Brauns seem remarkable to the American collector, 
although the forms, he states, are the commoner ones of his 
locality. A preponderance of the specimens belong to the Asilidae. 
Several different Mydaidse, numerous Tabanidae, especially Pan- 
gonias, curious Bombyliidae, Cyrtidae, and Conopids, all bespeak 
the dry and arid character of the high steppes of the Cape. In 
one letter written in late April, Dr. Brauns stated that it had not 
rained since the September previous. Accordingly, there is a 
dearth of the moisture-loving diptera, such as Leptidse, Dolicho- 
podise, Empididse, Tipulidae, etc. To many of us it may seem 
strange to recall that the collecting season of the entomologist of 
the antipodes is confined to our winter months. 
*Coiitributions from the Zoolog-ical laboratory of the State College 
of Washington, Pullman, Washington. 
**Ditteri Eritrei. Bull. del. Soc. entomol. ital., XXXVII, 1905. 
125 
