Baccha neavei Bezzi, 1915:46

39. Baccha neavei, sp. n.

♂. Length of body 11 to 12 mm., of wing 9 to 10 mm.

A species evidently belonging to the picta-group, but distinguished from any other on account of the wholly black coloration of thorax and scutellum ; in all probability, however, the unknown female will be found to be paler-coloured than the male.

Head black ; face yellowish red, the middle tubercle more yellow, the sides with bluish reflexions and sparse tomentum, and also with some dark hairs;

peristoma narrow, blackened behind ;

frontal triangle shining blackish zeneous, dark-haired;

the not very prominent antennal tubercle is yellow towards the lunule and somewhat violet-coloured on the sides;

vertical triangle very narrow, aeneous black, black-haired ;

occiput black, whitish-dusted, with a complete white fringe, darkened above;

lateral margin of the eyes white ;

antennae dark orange-coloured, the basal segments blackened, with bluntly ovate third joint and brown arista, which is, however, yellow at the base and sometimes shortly pubescent.

Line of contact of eyes as long as the vertical triangle;

eyes apparently adorned with a single median dark band.

Thorax and scutellum entirely metallic shining aeneous, with short pale hairs;

humeri very narrowly reddish ;

pleurae like the back, darkened above, clothed with slightly longer hairs.

Squamule yellow, with a short fringe;

halteres whitish.

Abdomen very narrow, cylindrieal, only slightly spatulate, wholly shining black ;

third and fourth segments with an oblique yellowish spot towards the middle of the sides, sometimes fused to form a complete band;

hair on the stalk very long and erect, otherwise short and dark.

Genitalia black, grey-dusted and grey-haired.

Front legs with the coxae entirely pale yellow ;

middle legs with the femora blackened behind towards the base;

hind legs with the femora black, yellow at the apex, and the tibiae yellowish with a more or less distinct subapical black ring.

Wings less broad than in /picta/, with black veins, the third and the seventh sinuous, the anal cell therefore irregularly shaped as in /picta/;

wings blackish brown, but with hyaline alula, axillary cell, and hind border;

there is a narrow hyaline streak in the middle extending from the bifurcation of the second and third veins to the third posterior cell;

subcostal cell black;

a broad hyaline preapical band and a broad apical brown spot extending from the end of the first to the third vein, and often even passing it more or less.

Type ♂ and two additional specimens from Lamoru Station, Uganda Rly. British East Africa, 9-10. iii. 1911, 7,340 ft., collected by Mr. S. A. Neave, in whose honour the species is named.

There is also a male specimen from Durban, 6. vi. 1903 ( F. Muir).