1923] 
Studies in Asilidce (Diptera) 
217 
Nicocles punctipennis, new species 
Length 12 to 13 mm. Black species, with hyaline wings 
marked Avith dark spots around the discal cell and with brownish 
clouds at the tips of the veins. Fifth segment of male about 
twice as Avide as deep, its front border and the sixth segment 
silvery. Last three segments of the female abdomen respectively 
Avith a pair of gray pruinose triangles, a pair of squares, and 
entirely gray pruinose. Hind tarsi of male silvery within. An- 
tennal style one-third the length of the third joint. Three strong 
lateral presutural bristles, two supra-alar, two or three postalar. 
Male. — Face, front and occiput gray- white pruinose; facial 
hairs fine, Avhite, comparatively dense, extending to the antennae, 
long beloAV, bristles of mystax yelloAvish, oral, ocellar, and post- 
ocular bristles yelloAvish broAvn; beard and palpal hairs white; 
face nearly square, and but little convex. Antennae black, the 
basal segments subequal, and provided with Avhite hairs, the 
second segment with a conspicuous light broAvn bristle below, 
the third segment nearly twice as long as the basal joints to- 
gether, slender, cylindrical, little tapering, three times as long 
as the thick style. Upper side of the thorax Avith an irregular 
gray-broA\m pattern, showing gray, hoAvever, on the narroAV 
median entire stripe, on each side of Avhich is a narroAv line, 
abbreviated posteriorly and on the humeri, scutellum, a large 
square prescutellar spot, Avith a triangular space on each side, 
and a curved sutural stripe extending up above the root of each 
Aving. This sutural stripe does not continue across the notum, 
but stops on the row of dorsocentral bristles, where it connects 
Avith gray horns from the anterior angles of the prescutellar spot. 
The broAAur color is not uniform, and is darkest as an interrupted 
vitta crossing the interior end of the gray sutural stripe. The 
oval center of the prescutellar spot is denuded and shows the 
polished black ground color of the thorax. Mesonotal hairs 
very fine, and rather sparse and long, pale yellowish, the posterior 
bristles pale, Avith brownish base: disc of the scutellum with 
Avhite hairs, the margin with two cruciate bristles. Pleurae 
and coxae gray pruinose, the center of the mesopleurae alone 
broAvnish; trichostichal hairs long, numerous, and Avhitish; 
