ASIAN THEMIRA (DIPTERA: SEPSIDAE) : DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SPECIES AND DISTRIBUTIONAL NOTES Jan Zuska Czech Academy of Agriculture, Research Institute of Food Industiy, Department of Entomology, 150 38 Prague, Czechoslovakia ABSTRACT — Themim bifida, from India, and T. japonica, from Japan, are described. The record of the occurrence of T. annulipes (Meigen) in India was found erroneous. Themira nigricomis (Meigen) is recorded as new to Asia, and the presence of T. putris ( L. ) there is confirmed. The subgeneric classification of Themira is discussed. Very little is known of the taxonomy and distribution of the genus Themira Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830, in Asia. Moreover, some of the recorded information is based on misidentifications. Study of sepsid collections of the Department of Entomology, Zoological Museum of the University, Helsinki (ZMUH); Department of Entomology, British Museum (Natural History), London (BMNH); and Entomological Institute, Hokkaido University, Sapporo ( EIHU ) has made it possible to present descriptions of two new species and new distributional data on some other representatives of Themira } Themira bifida Zuska, new species Fig. 1-3, 11-14 (5 9 . Small, black, moderately shiny species, 3.0 to 3.4 mm long. Head blackish, pentagonal in lateral aspect, with somewhat protruding frontal part. Frons black, rather dull and pruinose, with deeply black orbits if observed anterodorsally, with scattered minute hairs. Face brownish, slightly pruinose, with high facial carina. Peristoma brown, coated with silvery pruinosity, slightly narrower anteriorly than depth of third antennal segment but widening posteriorly, its lower margin almost straight. Occiput black, subshining, bearing rather long, scattered, dark hairs. Chaetotaxy: 1 or (rather long and strong), 1 oc, 1 vti, 1 pvt, 7 or 8 peristomal bristles; vte vestigial but distinct. Antenna black, reaching below middle of frons; third segment barely longer tlian deep mesially; arista black, moderately thickened basally, distinctly pubescent. Thorax black. Mesonotum rather densely pruinose, subshining, its sparse, long, black hairs arranged into acrostichal, dorsocentral, and intra-alar rows. Pleura extensively pruinose: mesopleuron almost without pruinosity, shining, bearing long scattered hairs; pteropleuron moderately pruinose except for its more shiny middle part; stemopleuron with stripe of dense silvery pruinosity along dorsal margin, otherwise shiny; hypopleuron strongly pruinose but with shiny spot in middle. Scutellum densely pruinose; postnotum \\'ith moderate pruinosity, subshining. 'The help of Drs. W. Hackman, A. C. Pont, and S. Takagi is gratefully acknowledged. 190
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