OCR Text |
Show 1906.] MISS G. RICARDO ON A NEW SPECIES OF FLY. 97 in which he describes two fully adult living specimens. He says 11 The two living specimens, which are now under my inspection, show that my former description was taken from very young specimens of about half their full size, and that this northern species comes much nearer in size to the southern species {Dolichotis patagonica) than I was formerly led to suppose." It is now quite clear from specimens collected by Mr. P. O. Simons in 1901, and described by Mr. Oldfield Thomas, that the living specimens described by Dr. Burmeister in his second paper were Dolichotis magellanicus centricola and not Dolichotis salinicola, and that those described in his first paper were full-grown or nearly full-grown specimens of the dwarf species Dolichotis salinicola, which I have now alive in my possession. Both these species occur in the same region near Santiago del Estero in Northern Argentina, so that confusion was easy. The common Patagonian Cavy is conspicuous for a broad dark band above the white rump-patch. This black band is wanting in Dolichotis salinicola and also iu the larger Dolichotis magellanicus centricola. EXPLANATION OF PLATE IV. Dolichotis salinicola. 3. Description of a new Fly of the Family Tahanidce. By GERTRUDE RICARDO. [Received December 7, 1905.] MELISSOMORPHA, gen. nov. Formed for a fly from Hungaroom, Sikhim, in the British Museum Collection, which closely mimics Apis dorsata F., an Indian species. The genus belongs to the Pangonince division of the family Tabanidte, which is distinguished by the hind tibia? being furnished with spines, ocelli usually present, and the third joint of the antenna? consisting of eight divisions, with no tooth. This genus will come under No. 9 in my table of genera of Pangonince in the Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (7) v. p. 98 (1900): "Proboscis scarcely extending beyond the palpi," which distinguished Apatolestes, a North American genus. The two genera may now be divided thus:- Having the appearance of a Bee (Apis). All the tibia? wide and flattened Melissomorpha, gen. nov. Not having the appearance of a Bee. The tibia? not wide and flattened Apatolestes Will. MELISSOMORPHA, gen. nov. Generic description.-Antenna? eight-jointed, ocelli present, PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1906, Y O L . I. No. YII. 7 |