New Zealand Cyrtidae — PARAMONOV 
23 
Length 3 Vi-4 mm. 
Three specimens in the British Museum appear to 
be this species. Wellington, New Zealand, 1. iii. 1910 
(Capt. F. W. Hutton); Botanical Gardens, Wellington, 
28. xi. 1906 (W. Wesche); Ngaio, N. Z., 21. xii. 1921 
(G. V. Hudson, no. 306f). In the specimen captured 
by Wesche the adventitious cross-vein is present in the 
right wing only; in the one taken by Hutton it occurs 
only in the left wing; in the third specimen mentioned 
there is no trace of it in either wing. 
This species was not described by Hudson, but he 
gave a coloured plate which simply portrays a blackish 
body, pale legs, unicolorous wings, with a venation 
which is not identical with that of Helle, but may be 
regarded as an indifferent copy of it. The apical thick- 
ening of the first vein certainly suggestive. Hudson 
sent a specimen of his species to Osten-Sacken, who 
described it (Ent. Month. Mag. (2) vii, p. 17, 1896), 
and through the inadequacy of Hudson’s plate the 
authorship of the species should count to Osten- 
Sacken, though I do not suggest any alteration now. 
A specimen in the British Museum under this name, 
by whom identified I do not know, cannot be true 
longirostris and I describe it herein as rufescens. 
D. Miller in his Catalogue of the Diptera 
of the New Zealand sub-region, (1950: 75), 
has transferred this species from the genus 
Helle to Oncodes ; the reason for this is not 
stated. The genus Helle belongs to the sub- 
family Philopotinae and the transfer of this 
species to another subfamily Oncodinae can- 
not be accepted. 
v The type of H. longirostris apparently was 
not fixed and can be regarded as lost. There- 
fore the first recognisable description of 
Osten-Sacken should be regarded as the only 
valid one. 
Helle megalyboides Brunetti 
1926. Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. IX, 18: 
573= 
Brunetti writes: 
Head mainly as in longirostris. Ocellar triangle flush 
with the eyes, wholly occupied by the three brownish 
ocelli, which are more distinct than in the other two 
species. Frontal triangle bright orange, a little prom- 
inent, below it a pair of whitish pubescent spots; 
antennae moderately light brown. Face black; pro- 
boscis one and a half times as long as height of head, 
pale yellow, tip blackish, sheath brownish yellow. 
Occipital margin very broad (as in longirostris ), but 
sloping away rapidly from hind margin of eyes, deep 
blue-black, finely punctate. 
Thorax deep blue-black, finely punctate; prothoracic 
plates quite contiguous in median line; outer and 
hinder angles rather broadly brownish yellow, the same 
colour occuring on propleurae, around wing-bases, 
narrowly thence to the reddish-orange hind margin of 
scutellum. 
Abdomen of six segments, separated by deep inci- 
sions, deep blue-black, finely punctate, traces of orange 
narrowly towards sides of hind margins of segments. 
Whole dorsum of abdomen and venter with very short 
whitish pubescence, barely visible except from in front. 
Genitalia concealed. Whole abdomen in general outline 
(except for the deep inter-segmental incisions) sub- 
cylindrical, slightly narrowing from base to tip. 
Legs. Coxae and femora black, tips of latter rather 
broadly but indefinitely yellowish. Tibiae and tarsi 
brownish yellow, dorsum of tarsal joints brownish 
except at base. 
Wings yellowish grey; venation as in longirostris , the 
additional cross-vein between third and fourth veins 
present. Clubs of halteres yellow; squamae obscurely 
whitish, about basal half of disc (except margin) black- 
ish brown; margins not differently coloured. 
Length nearly 4 mm. 
Described from two specimens in the British Mu- 
seum: Wilton’s Bush, Wellington, New Zealand, 27. 
xi. 1921 (G. V. Hudson, ”206” (?c)), type; the second 
example labelled simply "New Zealand” (G. V. Hud- 
son, ”206a” and ”47d”). 
The author has not seen this species. From 
the description by Brunetti it is evident that 
it is very closely related to H. longirostris. 
There is a possibility that it is only the other 
sex of H. longirostris. 
Subfamily ONCODINAE 
Genus Oncodes Latr. 1796 
KEY TO THE NEW ZEALAND SPECIES OF 
ONCODES 
1. Hairs on whole body yellowish 
O. consimilis Brun. (cf, $) 
Hairs on whole body black, or dark 
brown 2 
2. Abdomen black O. nitens Hutt. 
Abdomen dark-brown, with narrow yel- 
lowish margins on tergites . 
O. brunneus Hutt. 
Oncodes brunneus Hutton 
1881. Cat. Dipt. New Zeal. p. 24; 1901. 
New Zeal. Inst., Trans. 33: 29- 
