78 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. IX, January, 1955 
Fig. 1. Wing of Sphaeniscus binoculatus (Bezzi). 
recumbent hairs on the mesonotum are black 
on the specimen of binoculatus at hand and the 
mesonotum is subshining black, thinly gray 
pollinose. In sexmaculatus the recumbent hairs 
on the mesonotum are yellow and the dorsum 
is rather thickly gray pollinose. The ovipositor 
appears to have a shorter piercer and basal 
segment than in sexmuculatus but it is not be- 
ing described as the specimen at hand is in 
poor condition. 
Length: body and wing, 2.5-3 mm. 
Type locality: Yasawa and Cuvu, Fiji. 
Type in the British Museum (Natural 
History). 
A specimen at hand is from Lau, Fiji, 
Oneata, Aug. 16, 1924 (E. H. Bryan, Jr.). 
Sphaeniscus sexmaculatus atilia (Walker) 
new comb. 
Fig. 2 a-b 
Trypeta atilia Walker, 1849, List Dipt. Ins. 
Brit. Mus. 4: 1021. 
Trypeta melaleuca Walker, 1864, Linn. Soc. 
Lond., Proc. 7: 238. 
Trypeta sexincisa Thomson, 1868, Dipt. Eug. 
Resa, 579. 
Trypeta formosana Enderlein, 1911, Zool. 
Jahrb. 31(3): 427. 
Spheniscomyia sexmaculata Bezzi ( nec Mac- 
quart), 1913, Ind. Mus., Mem. 3: 148. 
Spheniscomyia sexmaculatus Shiraki, 1933, Fac. 
Sci. Agri. Taihoku Imp. Univ., Mem. 7(2): 
354. 
Spheniscomyia sexmaculata Malloch, 1939, Linn. 
Soc. N. S. Wales, Proc. 64(3-4): 450. 
S. atilia has been considered as specifically 
distinct from sexmaculatus but I have not been 
able to find characteristics which appear to be 
of specific importance. I have compared spec- 
imens from a wide range of localities through 
the Pacific and Orient with those from Africa, 
and the coloring of the hind tibiae and the 
extent of the pollinosity on the mesonotum 
appear to be the only differences. I feel that 
this should be treated as a subspecies. S. atilia 
is distinguished from typical sexmaculatus by 
having the hind tibia yellow, and the pollin- 
osity of the mesonotum not arranged in a 
definite pattern. Typical sexmaculatus has the 
hind tibia nearly all black, yellow only on the 
apex, and the mesonotum with the pollen 
arranged into four rather distinct longitudinal 
gray vittae. The scutellum and the sides of 
the mesonotum are very lightly dusted, shin- 
ing black in most lights. The pollinose lines 
are not clearly visible if viewed directly from 
above but stand out if the specimen is ex- 
amined at an angle toward the head. Munro 
(1938: 36) and Chen (1947: 103) have in- 
dicated that the proximal hyaline marginal 
spot of the wing is narrower in atilia than in 
sexmaculatus; I have not been able to demon- 
strate any significant differences in the wing 
pattern (Fig. 2d). It also should be noted that 
when specimens of atilia are examined in the 
same position suggested for sexmaculatus 
faintly shining vittae are seen to be present, 
also the hind tibiae may be discolored basally 
in some specimens. Malloch’s specimens from 
the Admiralty Islands and Papua (1939: 450) 
were evidently of this type. The characters of 
the ovipositor of S . sexmaculatus atilia are as 
in Fig. 2b. 
This subspecies is widespread over the 
Orient and much of the Pacific. I have studied 
specimens from the following localities. Phil- 
ippine Islands: Mindoro, Feb. 1945 (F. E. 
Skinner) ; Tacloban, Leyte (Baker) ; Los Banos 
(Baker) and Baguio, Benquet (Baker). Ma- 
laya: Kuala Lumpur, July-August, 1948, ex 
flower heads of Hyptis capitata (N. L. H. 
Krauss). India: Tanakpur, U. P., November, 
