Harrison E. Smith.
Five New Species of North American Tachinidae.
Psyche 24(5):137-141, 1917.

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PSYCHE
VOL. XXIV OCTOBER, 191 7 No. 5
FIVE NEW SPECIES OF NORTH AMERICAN
TACHINIDB.
U. S. Bureau of Entomology, West Springfield, Mass. Following are the descriptions of five new species of Tachinidse from North America.
The writer wishes to acknowledge his in- debtedness to Dr. C. H. T. Townsend, who has very kindly com- pared the following described species with material in the collec- tion of the U. S. National Museum, and assisted the writer in many other ways with this difficult family of insects. Pilatea unicolor sp. nov.
Length 6-8 mm.
Black, brassy gray pollinose.
Front in male about three-fifths, in female about one and one- fourth to one and one-half times as wide as either eye. Frontal vitta opaque black, not as wide as either side of front. Diameter of head at vibrissse less than at base of antennse. Vibrissse on
the oral margin, facial ridges bristly on the lowest fourth to one- third. Proboscis short and fleshy, palpi normal, yellow. Ocellar bristles strong, proclinate; two pairs of orbital bristles present in the female, absent in male. Frontals arranged in a single row, descending to base of third antenna1 joint, outside of these a few bristly hairs. Parafacials and sides of front uniformly brassy gray pollinose. Antennae black, nearly as long as face, the third joint in male three to three and one-half times as long as, in female about three times as long as the second. Arista thickened on the basal third, the penultimate joint as broad as long. Sides of face about one-sixth as wide as the facial depression, cheek width ap- proximately one-seventh the eye height.
Thorax as viewed from the rear, marked with five black vittse. Dorso-centrals three, sternopleurals three. Scutellum bearing a



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138 Psyche [October
discal pair, three pairs of long marginals and a weak pair of cruciate apical macrochaetse. Legs black, front pulvilli in male about as long as the last tarsal joint. Middle tibiae each bearing a single strong bristle on the outer front side near the middhe, hind tibise pectinate with a row of bristles of unequal length. Abdomen bearing discal and marginal macrochaetse. Apical
cell open, ending in costa a little before the extreme wing tip. Hind cross-vein nearer to bend of the fourth longitudinal than to the small cross-vein, the third longitudinal vein bearing two or three bristly hairs at its base. Wings except lower margins, usu- ally wholly smoky tinged, or sub-hyaline. Tegulse usually yel- lowish white, with a blending smoky tinge in males. Described from three males and seven females. One taken by
the author at Melrose, Mass., the remainder taken by Mr. C. W. Johnson at Glen House, N. H., Orr's Island, Me., Chester and Auburndale, Mass., and Middletown, Conn. Holotype (male) and allotype (female) in collection of the Boston Society of Natural History.
Pilatea ruficornis sp. nov.
Differs from the preceding species, as follows: Length 12 mm. Black, gray pollinose species.
Parafrontals and sides of face rich golden yellow pollinose. Frontal vitta opaque velvety brown, at middle wider than either side of front. Antennae except apical portion of the third joint yellow, arista thickened on the basal third. Facial ridges bristly
on the lowest fifth. Dorso-central four, sternopleurals three. Middle tibiae each bearing two strong macrochaetse on the outer front side near the middle. Wings sub-hyaline, veins brown, the third longitudinal vein bearing two bristles at its base. Tegulse milky white, bordered with yellow around the edges. Described from a female specimen taken by Mr. S. A. Shaw, at Hampton, N. H., July 25, 1903.
Holotype placed in the col-
lection of the Boston Society of Natural History. The two species above described are evidently congeneric with Coquillett's Masicera celerl recently designated the genotype of Pilatea town^.^
1Rev. N. Amer. Tach., 1897, p. 114.
2Ent. News., Vol. xxvii, p. 178.




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Smith-Five New Species of North American Tachinidoe Spathimeigenia nigriventris sp . nov.
Length 7 mm. Black, grayish pollinose species. Female: Front as wide as either eye, frontal vitta opaque dark velvety brown, parafrontals and sides of face gray pollinose. Frontal bristles in a single row, descending to base of third antenna1 joint, outside of these two pairs of orbital bristles. Eyes bare,
ocellar bristles strong proclinate, weak bristly hairs on parafacials not regularly disposed. Antennae black, the third joint three times as long as the second, arista thickened on the basal two- fifths, the penultimate joint as broad as long. Vibrissae on an
approximate level with the front edge of the oral margin, the facial ridges bristly on about the lower half. Cheeks about one-seventh the eye height, proboscis short and fleshy, palpi normal, yellow. Thorax, pleurae and coxae black, grayish pollinose. As viewed
from behind, the outer thoracic vittse, anterior to the transverse suture, are approximately five times as wide as the two inner vittae. Dorso-centrals three, sternopleurals three, the lowest of which is considerably weaker. Abdomen shining black, segments two to four gray pollinose on about the basal three-fifths, bearing marginal macrochaetse only.
Venter distinctly carinate and bearing rather long bristly spines, a piercing ovipositor present. Scutelum bear- ing a short discal pair, three pairs of long marginals and a short weak pair of apical macrochaetae. Legs black, the middle tibiae, each having a single stout macrochseta on the outer front side near the middle. Hind tibiae pectinate with a row of bristles of irregular length.
Wings sub-hyaline, apical cell open, ending a little before the extreme wing tip. Third longitudinal vein bearing two bristles at ts base, and a single bristle at inter-section of the small cross- vein. Tegulse whitish, faintly bordered with yellow. Described from a female specimen labelled Hatch Exp. Station, September 1, 1897. Holotype in collection of Mass. Agri. College. Homceonychia rap% sp. nov.
Length 7 mm. Head slightly wider than thorax, diameter of head at vibrissse approximately as great as at base of antennae. Eyes hairy, front one and one-third times as wide as either eye. Frontal vitta opaque velvety brown, slightly wider than either side of front. Ocellar bristles stout, proclinate; orbital bristles absent in male. Frontal bristles arranged in a single row, descend-



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140 Psyche [October
ing at least half-way down the sides of face, outside the frontal row to eye margin many scattered bristly hairs. Antennae black, five-sixths as long as face, the second joint very short, the third joint broad, oval, nearly two times as wide as long. Arista thick- ened on the basal three-fifths, the penultimate joint as broad as long. Vibrissse placed on about a level with the front edge of the oral margin, facial ridges bristly on the lowest two-fifths to one- half. Facial plate enlarged, three times as wide at its greatest width, as at base of antennae. Probiscis short and fleshy, palpi normal, black. Cheeks about two-fifths the eye height. Thorax black, gray pollinose, marked with four narrow vittse. Scutellum bearing a discal pair, three pairs of long marginals and a cruciate apical pair of macrochaetae. Middle tibiae bearing two stout macrochaetae on the outer front side near the middle. Hind tibiae sub-ciliate. Abdomen gray pollinose with a median black vitta, bearing discal and marginal macrochsetae. Sides of first three segments faintly reddish black, abdominal hairs sub-erect. Wings hyaline, veins brown, apical cell open, ending in costa a little before wing tip. Posterior cross-vein sinuate, nearer to bend of fourth longitudinal vein than to the small cross-vein. Third longitudinal vein bearing two bristles at its base. Tegulse opaque milky white.
Described from a male specimen reared by Mr. R. T. Webber at the Gypsy Moth Parasite Laboratory, bred from Pontia rapce Linn., August 17, 1915.
Holotype, Cat. No. 21024. U. S. N. M.
Allophorocera montana sp. nov.
Length 10-12 mm.
Front in male about one and two-thirds, in female about two and one-fifth times as wide as either eye. Viewed
from the side, the head projects in front of the eye about the hori- zontal diameter of the eye, frontal vitta opaque black. Frontal bristles disposed in a single row, descending a little below the arista, from the base of antennae running obliquely to the eye mar- gin. Sides of front bearing many bristly hairs, densely silvery gray pollinose, concolorous with parafacials. Ocellar bristles proclinate, two pairs of orbitals present in the female, absent in male. Antennae black, the third joint in male about three and one-half times as long as in female about two and one-half times



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19171 Smith-Five New Species of North American Tachinidce 141 as long as the second. Arista thickened on approximately the basal half, the penultimate joint as broad as long. Eyes bare, cheeks nearly one-third as wide as the eye height. Facial ridges bristly on the lowest three to four-fifths, vibrissse strong, cruciate, on a level with the front edge of the oral margin. Proboscis short and fleshy, palpi black.
Thorax thinly gray pollinose, rather indistinctly vittate. Dorso- centrals three, sternopleurals three. Legs black, front pulvilli in male as long as the last tarsal joint.
Middle tibiae bearing a row
of four or five bristles on the outer front side. Hind tibiae pecti- nate with a row of bristles of unequal length. Scutellum black, sometimes a reddish tinge at the tip, bearing a weak discal pair, three pairs of long marginals and a shorter cruciate apical pair of macrochsetse.
Abdominal segments grayish pollinose on the basal margins, the first and second segments, each bearing a pair of marginal macrochsetae, the third segment a discal pair and a marginal row, the fourth segment bearing numerous macrochaetse and bristly hairs on the apical three-fifths. Hairs of abdomen numerous, long and erect.
Wings hyaline, apical cell open, ending well before the wing tip. Posterior cross-vein nearer to bend of fourth longitudinal vein than to small cross-vein, the third longitudinal vein bearing four or five bristles at its base. Tegulse milky white, narrowly bordered with yellow.
Described from one male and three females taken by Dr. R. R. Parker at Powderville, Montana, April 18-24, 1916. One female, Gallatin Co., Montana, April 26, 1902, taken by Mr. R. Benton. Holotype (male) in collection of Montana State College. Females of this species deposit an elongate oval, flattened white egg.
Hence, if the species is referred to the proper genus, as I believe, Allophorocera Hendel1 is certainly not congeneric with Lydella De~v.~ Lydella nigripes Fall. the genotype of Lydella has a distinct ventral carina, piercing ovipositor and larviposits living larvae within the host, thus it appears that Allophorocera is a valid genus and not synonymous with Lydella, as stated by Mr. Coquillett .3
1Verh. zoo1.-bot. Ges. Wien, Ll, 203, 1901. ÌàEssa Myod., 112, 1830.
å´Typ Sp. N. A. Genera, Proc. U. S. N. M., Vol. 37, 563,1910.



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