838 



AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



A monograph of the North American species of this family was 

 pubhshed by Cole ('19). 



Family BOMBYLIID^ 



The Bee-Flies 



These flies are mostly of mediiim size, some are small, others are 

 rather large. In some the body is short and broad and densely 

 clothed with long, delicate hair (Fig. 1080). 

 Other species resemble the horse-flies somewhat 

 in appearance, especially in the dark color or 

 markings of the wings; but these can be dis- 

 tinguished from the horse-flies bv the form of 

 the antennae and the venation of the wings. 



The antennee are usually short; they are 

 three-jointed with or without a style; in some 

 genera the style is so large that it may be con- 

 sidered a fourth segment. The ocelli are pres- 

 ent. The proboscis is sometimes very long and slender, and some- 

 times short and furnished with fleshy lips at the extremity. 



The radial sector is three-branched ; cell R3 is sometimes divided 

 by a sectorial cross-vein (Fig. 1081, s); cell M3 is obliterated by the 

 coalescence of veins M3 and Cui;in a few genera cell Mi is also oblit- 

 erated by the coalescence of veins Mi and M2; cell ist A is narrowly 



Fig. 1080. — Bombylius. 



Fig. 1 08 1. — Wing of Pantarbes capita. 



open, or is closed at or near the border of the wing. The alulets are 

 small or of moderate size. The empodia are pulvilliform. 



The adult flies feed on pollen and nectar, and are found hovering 

 over blossoms, or resting on sunny paths, sticks or stones; they rarely 

 alight on leaves. 



The larvse are parasitic, infesting hymenopterous and lepidopter- 

 ous larvffi and pupae and the egg-sacs of Orthoptera. The pupae are 

 free. 



The family is a large one ; more than four hundred and fifty North 

 American species, representing forty-one genera are listed by Aldrich 

 ('05). 



