March, 1902.] New or Little Known Diptera. 
229 
Criorhina umbratilis Will. 
vSo far as I am aware only two specimens, one of each sex, of 
this species have been mentioned in literature. I have seen four 
additional female specimens recently ; three taken by Chas. 
Dury at Cincinnati, Ohio, and one taken by E. B. Williamson at 
Nashville, Tenn. Mr. Dury procured his specimens from the 
blossoms of thorn apple about the middle of May. Ceria, Spe- 
comyia and other desirable species were taken at the same place. 
It is quite probable that thorough collecting on these blossoms 
would yield many specimens which are considered rare. Each 
of the gentlemen mentioned have donated a specimen of this 
insect to the university museum. 
Tropidia mamillata Loew. 
Loew described this species in the first century of his North 
American Diptera, from a male specimen taken in Illinois. The 
type seems to have remained the only recorded specimen up to 
the present time. In a collection made by J. C. Bridwell at 
Baldwin, Kansas, is a male which agrees perfectly with Loew’s 
description. Through the kindness of Mr. Bridwell the speci- 
men is now in the university museum. 
Piiorantha and Alophora. 
I have had much interest in the species of these two genera for 
some time. They appear in large numbers in late fall, on such 
flowers as may remain until the middle or last of October, and 
especially upon the various species of Aster. A few specimens 
have been taken at other seasons, but as a usual thing the}' are 
rare, while hundreds of specimens of various species may be 
taken in October around Asters. A small patch of these plants 
grown on the campus by the Botanical Department were in blos- 
som through October last fall, and Mr. Bridwell procured a large 
number of specimens belonging to at least six species. Near 
noon of warm, clear days most specimens were taken. 
Piiorantha bridwelli n. sp. 
Head at the vibrissse longer than at the base of the antennae, frontal vitta 
wide, brown, otherwise the front and face yellowish, covered with white 
pollen, facial ridges bristly below, but not all of the bristles are in the single 
row on each side ; antennae reaching to the middle of the face, first two joints 
reddish, third joint and arista brown, second and third joints of nearly equal 
length ; front at narrowest part nearly three times as wide as the distance 
between the posterior ocelli, ocellar bristles small, cheeks clothed with fine, 
pale hairs. Thorax dark in ground color, sternum, sides and scutellum thinly 
gray pollinose, disk yellow pollinose, except four brown, longitudinal vitta;, 
which extend from the anterior part to beyond the transverse suture, the 
outer one on each side abbreviated before and extended behind ; wing brown, 
base to humeral cross-vein and apex of second basal cell yellowish, which 
