R₅ are fused throughout their length, and Sc is evanescent apically. Correlated with the absence of 1st A, the anterior coxae are longer than their femora, which are broadened and spinose beneath. The eyes are situated well forward on the head, and the occiput is well developed. In characterizing the genus, Melander states that the head is flattened and the eyes dichoptic in both sexes; acrostichal bristles absent and two scutellar bristles present. In the following species the head is flattened in the male only, and in this sex the eyes are closely approximated beneath the antennae; a pair of acrostichal bristles is present on the anterior part of the dorsum and in the female, besides the two apical scutellar bristles, there are four on each angle of the scutellum. The occipital chaetotaxy varies in the male and female.

L. otiraensis n. sp.

♂. Head (fig. 11) dorso-ventrally flattened; eyes angulated at ocellar triangle and emarginate at antennae, dichoptic above antennae but closely approximated below, restricting the face and reaching to oral margin eliminating the cheeks. Ocellar triangle placed well forward on head; a pair of stout and conspicuous ocellar bristles. Front cinereous, comparatively broad, with a distinct orbital bristle on each side toward antennae; otherwise bare. Antennae situated in depression a little above middle height of head; black in ground-colour, but with greyish reflection; first joint short and inconspicuous but strongly bristled; second joint more or less globular and bristly; third joint rather clavate, flat, clothed with short delicate hairs; style a little more than three times as long as third joint, yellowish-brown, thickened at base, and clothed with delicate bristle-like hairs, giving it a barbed appearance except at tip, which is bare and hair-like.

Face narrow, convex, projecting in profile (fig. 11), clothed with dense silvery pubescence. Proboscis tawny, awl-like, slightly curved, not as long as height of head; palpi large, tawny, ultimate joint ovate penultimate clavate. Occiputs cinereous, flat and bristly above and clothed below with silvery bristle-like hairs along orbits; lower angle bristly.; posterior orbits convex above but angulate about middle and thence concave to oral margin. Occipital chaetotaxy shown in fig. 13.

Thorax very elongate, dorsum narrow, chaetotaxy prominent and shown in fig. 15 except posterior to suture and in front of scutellum, where the specimen is pinned. Dorsum cinereous grey, owing to pubescence, with black stripe on each side and an indistinct brownish medium one; scutellum cinereous, bristles erect and convergent. Pleurae blackish-brown but clothed with cinereous pubescence; middle and posterior coxae approximated and set well back under base of abdomen, anterior legs attached anteriorly; metapleurae with pair of distinct bristles.

Wines (fig. 18) clear, anal angle weak, 1st A absent, Cu₂ distinct, forming right angle with line of 1st A; R₄ and R₅ fused; Sc evanescent for most part. Halteres tawny. Legs tawny, knees and apices of tarsi somewhat fuscous; anterior coxae (fig. 19) as long as their femora, which are broadened, and have two rows of long and short teeth-like spines beneath, between which tibiae fold; row of closely set, minute black spines along inner side of anterior tibiae; anterior tarsal joints, except the protarsi, slightly broadened.

Abdomen tawny, posterior margin of each segment broadly banded with fuscous; sparse vestiture of delicate tawny hairs; distinct bristles

toward posterior margin of each segment. Genitalia extruded but indistinct, tawny and bristly.

♀. Eyes dichoptic, front perpendicular, narrowing to antennae, black, orbits greyish-yellow, short owing to occiput invading crown of head so that ocellar triangle is on front of head (fig. 12). Face narrow, longer than front, protruding as in male, and clothed with dense yellow pubescence. Antennae inserted a little below middle line of head. Oral margin produced backwards and bristly. Occiput more or less evenly rounded; chaetotaxy shown in fig. 14; short bristle-like hairs below foramen and in deep concavity of posterior orbits. Lower orbits truncated.

Thorax somewhat rectangular in outline, particularly in profile (fig. 17); prothorax yellowish-brown, to black in some lights; dorsum (fig. 16) greyish-yellow or brown, with velvet blackish-brown stripe on each side; medianally is a broad deeper-yellow stripe, bordered on each side by a narrow, less distinct, slate-grey one; median colour-pattern distinct only anterior to transverse suture. Outside lateral blackish-brown stripes thorax is yellowish-grey edged with blackish-brown. Humeri, from above, truncated and yellowish-grey. Scutellum greyish-yellow, with four marginal bristles at each angle in addition to apical pair. Metathorax brownish-yellow, but black in some lights. Pleurae silvery-grey in colour, with blackish-brown areas in certain light (fig. 17). Owing to sternopleurae being produced posteriorly and being closely applied to hypopleurae, not only are pteropleurae crowded upwards between meta- and sterno-pleurae, but middle and posterior legs arise close together immediately posterior to root of wings (which are attached well back on thorax) and beneath base of halteres, a space equal to about length of dorsum intervening between anterior and middle legs, which are attached to extreme anterior lower angle of thorax. Chaetotaxy conspicuous, and shown in figs. 16 and 17; pleurae bare except for five metapleural bristles.

Legs yellow, coxae with whitish reflections; knees, tibiae of middle and posterior legs, and all tarsi somewhat darker; anterior coxae a little longer than their femora.

Abdomen brownish-yellow, with bristle-like hairs on posterior margin of each segment; pale-yellowish hairs along sides; brown terminal stylets covered with stiff bristle-like hairs.

♂. Length, 2 mm. ♀. Length, 3 mm.

Holotype: ♂, No. 1253; ♀, No. 1225, D. M.

Habitat.—Otira (J. W. Campbell); Weraroa, amongst swamp vegetation.