1. Platyura brevis n.sp. Tonn. (Fig. 160.)

♂ Head with appendages dark. Thorax orange, mesonotum more reddish with bare lines between acrostichal and dosocentral series of bristles. Abdomen with five first segments orange with dark posterior border, last two visible segments dark. Hypopygium dark, structure according to fig. 160; claspers thick at base and suddenly thin in their last half. Legs yellowish-orange, darker on tarsi. Wings quite clear; Sc short not quite reaching level of base of Rs. Base of R₄ under tip of R₁; all veins reaching margin with exception of An. Halteres with a dark knob.

Length of body and wing 2½ mm.

♀ All the abdominal segments orange narrowly bordered with brown posteriorly.

A female from Ohakune has R₄ shorter and more vertical, ending in costa, about twice its length distant from tip of R₁. It is safer to consider it as an aberrant specimen rather than the representative of a distinct species so long as a male of the same locality is not obtained.

Type: Lake Brunner (Tonnoir) 2nd Feb., 1922, in Cawthron Inst. coll.

Paratypes: Nelson (Tonnoir), Nov. to Mar.; Wellington, Dec., 1921; Mt. Grey (Campbell) 23rd Feb., 1924.

The length of Sc is variable, it sometimes reaches the base of Rs; also the length of the stalk of M is rather variable.

2. Platyura subbrevis n. sp. Tonn. (Fig. 159.)

♂ Head brown above, mouth-parts orange, also scape of antennae, flagellum brown. Thorax orange, mesonotum darker with a tinge of grey. Abdomen: five first segments of same colouration as mesonotum, last segments and hypopygium dark brown. Hypopygium with short claspers ending in a blunt point, fig. 159. Legs yellowish-orange, tibiae and tarsi darker. Wings hyaline; Sc ending at level of base of Rs; R₄ oblique, ending at a distance from R₁ equal to its own length; An. very faint, short. Halteres with yellowish stem and darkish knob.

♀ General colouration lighter; distinct from brevis by the orange scape. Mesonotum not darkened, abdomen orange with sharp brown hind border to segments 2–5, the last one nearly all black. Antennae relatively shorter than in male.

Length of body 3 mm., wing 2 ¾ mm.

Type Aniseed Valley (Tonnoir) 1st Dec., 1923, in Cawthron Inst. coll.

Allotype: idem.

3. Platyura albovittata n.sp. Tonn.

♂ Head and appendages dark brown. Thorax brown, the mesonotum with dark evenly spread pubescence. Abdomen dark brown, hypopygium very small and hidden. Legs brown, femora and tibiae somewhat lighter, external spur of middle and hind tibiae much reduced. Wings: Sc reaching origin of Rs, R₄ rather short, placed at a good distance from R₁; An. nearly reaching the hind border; membrane brown with a transverse narrow curved band from tip of R₁ across fRs, middle of M₁ and M₂ and stopping a little before end of

Cu₁; also a lighter longitudinal space below base of M. Halteres with yellow stem and dark thick knob.

Length of body and wing 3½ mm.

Type: Reefton (Tonnoir) 13th Jan., 1922, in Cawthron Inst. coll.

4. Platyura marshalli nom. nov. (Fig. 163.)

Marshall, Trans. N.Z. Inst., 28, 1896, p. 281 (Platyura flava, preoccupied).

This is a rather widespread species; the type's hypopygium as shown in fig. 163. Besides the type's locality: Lincoln, it is known from: Auckland (Broun) in Hutton's collection; Nelson, 14th and 28th Nov., 1923; Aniseed Valley, 1st Dec., 1923; Wellington, 10th Mar., 1923 (Tonnoir).

5. Platyura lamellata n. sp. Tonn. (Figs. 38, 161.)

♂ Head brownish, palpi dark, antennae with scape somewhat yellowish, especially below, flagellum dark. Thorax brownish, mesonotum more greyish on disc and covered with uniform black pubescence. Abdomen brown, posterior border of segments yellow. Hypopygium as in fig. 161; ninth tergite distinctly longer than its finger-like lateral appendages which carry only a pair of terminal bristles, lower processes hooked with a dorsal spine and a few ventral very small teeth. Legs yellowish, tarsi darker. Wings hyaline, Sc ending in front of base of Rs; M₂ and Cu₁ not reaching wings border (this is not always the case); An. incomplete. Halteres yellow.

Length of body and wing 3½ mm.

Type: Dun Mt. (Tonnoir) 5th Jan., 1922, in Cawthron Inst. coll.

Paratypes: 2 ♂ coll. Hutton without locality; Akaroa, 10th Dec., 1924—Goose Bay, 4th Feb., 1925; Christchurch 10th Nov., 1924 (Tonnoir).

Some of the specimens are much darker than type, there is no yellow at base of antennae and at posterior border of abdominal segments.

This species is very nearly related to P. marshalli from which it differs mainly by the structure of the hypopygium. In marshalli the finger-like processes are as long as the tergite, and the sternal processes are looped.

6. Platyura proxima n.sp. Tonn. (Fig. 162.)

♂ Head and antennae black, palpi and proboscis yellow. Thorax blackish-brown with a slight cinereous pruinosity on notum which carries uniform pubescence. Abdomen dark brown with inconspicuous touch of orange on posterior border and on sides of segments. Hypopygium with tergite large and bilobed and twice as long as its finger-like lateral appendages which are provided with two terminal bristles and a row of fine dorsal ciliae, sternal appendages nearly as in P. flava. Legs yellowish-brown. Wings hyaline; Sc reaching the origin of Rs, M₃ and Cu₁ not reaching the wing border; An. incomplete.

Length of body and wing 3½ mm.

Type: Aniseed Valley (Tonnoir.) 23rd Mar., 1922, in Cawthron Inst. coll.

7. Platyura brookesi n.sp. Edw. (Fig. 164.)

♂ Head blackish above, slightly dusted with grey. Face brownish. Palpi, scape, and base of flagellum ochreous, rest of flagellum black. In ♂ the flagellar segments, except first and last, are scarcely as long as broad. Thorax almost uniformly brownish-ochreous, sternopleurite and hypopleurite somewhat darkened in ♂. Mesonotum not striped; uniformly clothed with short black bristles all over, without any bare lines. A group of small bristles behind prothorcic spiracles. Abdomen dark brown; posterior margins of tergites and the whole venter ochreous. Hypopygium much as in P. lamellata Tonn. and allied species; ninth tergite slightly emarginate apically but scarcely bilobed; the finger-like lateral appendage with 6–7 dorsal and 2 terminal bristles, all of about equal length. Legs ochreous; tarsi and spurs dark; the fine tibial setae irregularly arranged; outer spur of hind tibia half as long as the inner. First front tarsal segment slightly shorter than tibia. Wings clear, veins all dark. Sc ending opposite base of Rs; R₄ oblique, ending about its own length distant from tip of R₁; costa extending almost one-third of distance from R₅ to M₁; r-m fusion short, only about a quarter as long as stem of median fork; An: not reaching margin. Halteres ochreous.

Length of body 4½ mm.; wing 4–4½ mm.

Type: Mt. Albert, Auckland (A. E. Brooke), in Brit. Mus. coll.

Allotype ♀, 1919.

8. Platyura novae-zelandiae nom. nov.

Marshall, Trans. N.Z. Inst., 28, 1896, p. 278, pl. 13, fig. 5–7. (Platyura magna preoccupied).

The type, a male, has the thorax orange with three dark mesonotal stripes, scutellum blackish-grey, pleurae only in part darkened; abdomen with segments 3–5 light coloured, the fourth being the palest with some whitish reflections; hypopygium testaceous.

Allotype rather light orange with only the knob of halteres and flagellum blackish.

The type and allotype, both in Prof. Marshall's collection, come from the Ruahine Mountains. Another male in Mr. Hudson's collection comes from Karori, 20th Feb., 1910.

9. Platyura harrisi n.sp. Tonn. (Fig. 41.)

♂ Head black, epistome and mouth-parts orange; antennae black, a point on under side of two first segments silvery or orange according to the position in which it is seen. Thorax black with conspicuous silvery gloss on pleurae and postnotum; mesonotum with cinereous dusting. Abdomen black, fourth segment whitish-yellow, a slight silvery gloss at base of segments 2 and 3; hypopygium dark. Legs anterior coxae dark at base, orange distally, hind coxae completely dark; anterior femora yellowish, posterior ones brownish; all tibiae yellowish-brown, tarsi darker. Wings with dark spot on anterior border towards tip, this spot growing fainter downwards, a dark suffusion on the rest of tip and one of the tip of An. Halteres brown with somewhat lighter stem.

♀ Colouration quite different from that of the male: face, episternum and mouth-parts bright orange. Thorax completely dark orange,

pleurae silvery as in male, mesonotum with grey dusting. Abdomen dark orange obscure on dorsum on account of dense adpressed pubescence. Legs entirely yellowish-orange, tarsi darker. Wings as in male. Halteres lighter.

Length of body 7½ mm., wing 6 mm.

Type: Aniseed Valley (Tonnoir) 1st Dec., 1923, in Cawthron Inst. coll.

Allotype: Riccarton (Gourlay) 19th Jan., 1923.

Paratypes: Ohakune (Harris) 15th Feb., 1920; Dallington (S. Lindsay), 10th Jan., 1922; Akaroa, 10th Dec., 1924; Hilltop, 10th Jan., 1925 (Tonnoir)

Specimens in Brit. Mus. Horn Hay (Harris) 15th Feb., 1920; Governors Bay (Tapley), 2nd Jan., 1923; (H. Crow), 3rd Dec., 1922; Gollans Valley, Wellington (Hudson); Dallington (Gourlay) Jan., 1922.

Some females from Ohakune have mesonotum with three broad and nearly confluent blackish stripes; abdomen nearly entirely dark on posterior half of segments. They may belong to another species; however, the males from that locality do not differ from the others.

10. Platyura philpotti n.sp. Tonn.

♀ Head blackish grey, mouth-parts orange; antennae dark brown, scape a little lighter. Thorax: mesonotum slate-grey, its sides somewhat rufous; pleurae and postnotum dark with silvery pruinosity. Abdomen shining red, flat, rather broad. Legs yellow-orange, posterior coxae blackish at extreme base. Wings conspicuously yellow chiefly on anterior border; apex somewhat smoky, chiefly between Rs and M. Tip of Sc reaching costa a good distance after base of Rs. All veins reaching wing border including An. Halteres orange.

Length of body 8½ mm., wing 7 mm.

Type: Dun Mt., Nelson (A. Phillpot) 14th Dec., 1922.

11. Platyura rutila n. sp. Edw.

♀ Head black above and on face. Palpi and labium yellowish, penultimate segment of palpi blackish above at tip. Antennae entirely black; segments 2–5 of flagellum about as long as broad, the rest distinctly longer. Thorax covered with greyish bloom all over; mesonotal integument uniformly red, postnotum somewhat darkened; prothorax and pleurae black. Mesonotum with short black bristles, numerous at sides, also arranged in a double acrostichal row and treble dorsocentral rows, bare areas between these rows. Abdomen shining red. Legs orange, tarsi darkened; spurs and extreme base of hind coxae black. Outer spur of hind tibiae not much shorter than inner. First front tarsal segment very slightly longer than tibia. Wings with deep yellow tint all over, tip a little smoky below R₅; Sc reaching well beyond base of Rs; R₄ arising below tip of R₁; costa short, reaching only a quarter of the distance from R₅ to M₁; r-m fusion not much shorter than stem of median fork. An. reaching the margin. Halteres orange.

Length of body, 6 mm.; wing, 5½ mm.

Type: Taumaranui (T. R. Harris); taken on window, Dec., 1922, in Brit. Mus. coll.

12. Platyura maculipennis n. sp. Tonn. (Fig. 36.)

♂ Head dark brown, antennae ochreous, last six segments darker, palpi ochreous. Thorax ochreous-brown, pronotum and sides of mesonotum somewhat lighter. Abdomen uniformly ochreous-brown; hypopygium the same colour, claspers ending in a simple claw, side-pieces without long bristles. Legs yellowish, hind coxae with a dark streak externally, tip of tibiae 2 and 3 black. Wings with dark tip and spot placed on fusion of Rs and M and extending on fM, also a darkish cloud near tips of Cu₂ and A; tip of Sc a little over origin of Rs; R₄ rather long, about equal to a third of R₅. All veins reaching wing-margin including A. Halteres yellow.

♀ Similar to male.

Length of body and wing 4½ mm.

Type: Wiltons Bush (Tonnoir) 2nd Dec., 1921, in Cawthron Inst. coll.

Allotype: Wellington (Tonnoir), 1st Dec., 1921.

Paratypes: Khandallah Dec., 1921; Wairakei 6th March, 1923, Wellington 10th March, 1923 (Tonnoir).

Specimens in Brit. Mus.: Ohakune (Harris).

There is a certain amount of variation in the colouration of the mesonotum which may present traces of dark bands; the abdomen is sometimes lighter than in the type. This species has not been found yet in the South Island.

13. Platyura punctifusa n. sp. Edw. (Figs. 37, 165.)

♂ Head blackish. Labium ochreous. Palpi missing. Antennae black, only second segment partly ochreous; flagellar segments somewhat flattened, deeper than long (only the first few remaining). Thorax blackish, somewhat dusted with grey; shoulders extensively ochreous, also scutellum. Rather narrow shining bare stripes between lateral, dorsocentral, and acrostrichal bristles, the last named in about four irregular rows. Abdomen black, slightly shining, segments 3–5 obscurely ochreous at base. Hypopygium small, of the usual type, but side-pieces and claspers short; ninth tergite transverse. Legs brownish-ochreous, femora darkened at base beneath, spurs black, outer spur on hind tibiae a little over half as long as inner. First tarsal segment on front legs only about two-thirds as long as tibia. Wings nearly clear, veins dark. Sc ending just beyond base of Rs; R₄ moderately long, arising just beyond tip of R₁; costa reaching about half-way from R₅ to M₁; r-m fusion very short, almost punctiform; An. slender but reaching hind margin. Halteres ochreous.

Length of body, 3·8 mm. wing, 3½ mm.

Type: Ohakune (T. R. Harris), Jan., 1924, in Brit Mus. coll.

14. Platyura carbonaria n. sp. Tonn.

♂ Head and appendages completely blackish-brown. Thorax black, moderately shining; mesonotum with three stripes of pubescence separated by bare lines. Abdomen flat, broadened distally. Hypopygium of pincers type with two teeth at end of claspers. Legs darkish yellow, hind coxae black, anterior ones brownish-yellow. Wings brownish, more intensively on anterior border; Sc reaching

costa a little over origin of Rs; all veins reaching wing-border. Halteres brown.

Length of body and wing 4½ mm.

Type: Purau Bay, Banks Peninsula (Tonnoir) 24th Feb., 1922, in Cawthron Inst. coll.

15. Platyura chiltoni n. sp. Tonn.

♂ Head black, antennae and palpi dark brown. Thorax black, mesonotum with very slight greyish reflection, pubescence nearly evenly distributed. Abdomen shining black, much flattened and widening distally. Hypopygium rather large, apparently (seen in situ) with simple toothed claspers. Legs with front coxae black at base, posterior ones completely dark; femora and tibiae yellowishbrown, tarsi darker, base of posterior femora dark. Wings hyaline, tip of Sc slightly over origin of Rs; R₄ short, its origin well beyond tip of R₁; all veins reaching wing-margin. Halteres brown.

Length of body and wing 3 mm.

Type: Cass (Tonnoir) 25th Feb., 1925, in Canterbury Mus. coll.

16. Platyura campbelli n. sp. Tonn. (Fig. 40.)

♂ Head orange, brownish on top, mouth-parts and base of antennae yellowish, flagellum brown. Thorax orange, the black pubescence of mesonotum arranged in stripes. Abdomen elongate and slender, four first segments orange, the following one dark brown. Hypopygium dark orange, of pincers type with two teeth at end of claspers. Legs yellowish. Wings subhyaline, Sc reaching costa slightly after origin of Rs; all veins reaching wing-border. Halteres yellow, knob brown.

Length of body 6 mm., wing 5 mm.

♀ Not so slender as the male; abdomen completely yellowish, flat and widened distally.

Length of body 4 mm., wing 4½ mm.

Type: Christchurch (Tonnoir) 20th Feb., 1925, in Canterbury Mus. coll.

Allotype: Deans Bush, Christchurch (Tonnoir), 7th Mar., 1925.

Paratypes. Purau Creek, 20th Feb., 1922; Deans Bush, 10th Nov., 1924 (Heighway); Horseshoe Lake, Christchurch (Heighway) 4th Nov., 1924.

Specimens in Brit. Mus.: New Brighton, 11th Nov., 1922; Mt. Grey, Jan., 1925 (Campbell).

17. Platyura ruficauda n. sp. Tonn.

♂ Similar to the preceding species but not so slender; antennae relatively shorter, also yellowish at base. Palpi and face yellow, vertex brown. Thorax yellow, disc of mesonotum somewhat darkened. Legs yellow. Abdomen with five first abdominal segments yellowish-brown, the last ones brown. Hypopygium yellow. Wings and venation as in preceding species. Halteres completely yellow.

Length of body and wing 3 mm.

Type: Aniseed Valley (Tonnoir) 22nd Mar., 1922, in Cawthron Inst., coll.

18. Platyura agricola Marsh.

Marshall, Trans. N.Z. Inst., 28, 1896, p. 279.

This is a rather common darkish species with elongate abdomen.

The female differs from the male in having the mesonotum mainly ochreous with three dark stripes more or less marked; abdomen ochreous, tergites with lateral basal dark spots. Sometimes the male has light hind coxae.

Nelson 14th and 21st Nov., 1923; Christchurch 14th Oct., 1924, and 17th Mar., 1925; Cass, Nov., Dec., and Feb., 1924–25 (Tonnoir); Governors Bay (Tapley): White Rock (Campbell); Ohakune (Harris).

19. Platyura curtisi n. sp. Edw.

♂ Closely resembles I. agricolae, especially in venation and hypopygial structure, but differs as follows:—

Hypopleurite ochreous. First abdominal segment brownish-ochreous, hardly darkened. Hind coxae all yellowish. Knob of halteres dark.

Type: Queenstown (L. Curtis), 11th Feb., 1922, in Brit Mus. coll.

20. Platyura rufipectus n. sp. Tonn.

♂ Head greyish-brown, palpi orange also scape and basal half of the 3rd segment of the antennae the rest of which is brown. Thorax orange, mesonotum with three dark bands (sometimes the two external ones are present or they are all missing); hypotergites and postnotum entirely or partially obscure. Abdomen mostly orange, segments 2 to 5 with black base, distal segments all black. Hypopygium dark, side pieces with long bristle on internal side, claspers with two terminal teeth. Legs yellowish-orange, tibiae and tarsi darker. Wings subhyaline; tip of Sc at level of origin of Rs; R₄ rather perpendicular, not longer than distance from its tip to tip of R₁; all veins reaching wing-margin. Halteres orange, the knob somewhat infuscated (sometimes completely orange).

♀ Similar to male but lighter; only two anterior dark stripes on mesonotum, the rest of thorax all orange. Abdomen with segments. 2 to 5 with dark base (sometimes the base of these segments dark only on the exterior corner).

Length of body 5½ mm., wing 4½ mm.

Type: Days Bay (Tonnoir) 28th Nov., 1921, in Cawthron Inst. coll.

Allotype: Aniseed Valley (Tonnoir) 21st March., 1922.

Paratypes: Waiho 10th Jan., 1922; Nelson 17th Sept., 1923; Reefton 13th Jan., 1922; Lake Brunner, 3rd Feb., 1922 (Tonnoir).

Specimens in Brit. Mus.: Ohakune (Harris), Dec., 1922, Dec., 1923.

There is a certain amount of variation in the colouration of the thorax which may be nearly completely orange; this species comes therefore very near the next one from which it differs, however, by the structure of the antennae and the hypopygium.

21. Platyura ohakunensis n. sp. Edw.

♂ Head black above; face, palpi, scape and under side of first two flagellar segments yellowish, remainder of antennae black. First