59 



Family Anisopodidse 



Moderately small, elongate flies with long legs and three ocelli. 



Head siibspherical or hemispherical, the eyes of the males holoptie 

 or dichoptic, usually rounded. Proboscis moderately prominent, with 

 small labella; palpi long, four segmented. Antennae usually about as 

 long as the thorax, cylindrical, composed of twelve to sixteen segments. 

 Thorax convex, without distinct transverse suture; scutellum semi- 

 circular, short and broad, the metanotum well developed. Abdomen 

 more or less cylindrical, flattened below, the genitalia small. Legs 

 slender, without spines; anterior coxae and the basal segment of the 

 tarsi elongated; tibiae with or without apical spurs; pulvilli absent, the 

 empodia pad-like. Wings rather large, lying flat on the abdomen when 

 at rest; auxiliary vein present; radius with 3 or 4 {Axymyia, Fig. 15*) 

 branches; cell 1st M, closed or open (Figs. 14, 16*); a single anal vein 

 reaches the margin. 



The adults are frequently common, particularly those belonging to 

 the genus Anisoptis which sometimes occur in small swarms near the 

 edges of woods in the vicinity of swamps and also on the trunks of 

 trees. The other genera occur in moist places, particularly upon foliage. 

 The members of this family, insofar as known, breed in wet or moist 

 decaying organic matter, as fermenting sap, rotten wood and similar 

 situations. 



There are about 80 described species, distributed in 6 genera and 3 

 subfamilies, all of the latter being found in the North American fauna. 



Plate n, Tipuloidea. 



Fig. 1, Anisopus species. Fig. 2. Olbiogaster species. 



