134 AN A ceo UNT OF BRITISH FLIES. 



near its junction with the costa ; there is another transverse veinlet 

 near this, between second and third veins ; the third longitudinal is 

 united with the tip of the costa, and is not forked ; the fork of the 

 fourth much beyond the fork of the fifth, which is nearly opposite the 

 transverse veinlets ; the sixth extends beyond the fork of the fifth. 

 This is figured by Curtis. The metamorphosis is unknown. 



L. lVaIken\ Curtis. 



Testaceous ; head tawny ; thorax with three blackish-brown stripes, 

 united behind. Palpi and proboscis testaceous; antennae brown, 

 yellow at the base. Ocelli brown. Abdomen brown towards the 

 tip, posterior borders of the segments darkish, the hypopygium 

 golden yellow ; yellowish hairs. Wings grayish at the tip ; a brown 

 spot at the tip of the praebrachial areolet ; veins dark brown. Legs 

 testaceous ; tarsi brown and spurs dark brown. Length 5 lin. Mr. 

 Dale found this species in September at Glanville Wootton. The 

 flight much resembles that of a Plume Moth {Pterophorus). 



Section 3. — SciophiluuE. 



Body elongated and slender. Head small. Eyes round or oblong. 

 Ocelli three, the middle one small. Proboscis short. Palpi 4-jointed, 

 curved downwards ; fourth joint long. Antenn£e i6-jointed. Wings 

 broad ; two cubital areolets ; first longitudinal vein reaching costal in 

 some (Sciophila, etc.), much shorter in others (Tetragoneura), united 

 to second iongitudinal vein ?iear its base by a transverse veinlet; fourth 

 vein forked ; fifth usually forked ; sixth vein long, but not reaching 

 the border of wing. Abdomen with 7 segments. Legs long and 

 slender. 



The larvae of this section may at once be known from those of 

 Alycetophila by their elongated form and different mode of life. They 

 do not live as the Mycetophilince larv^ inside the fungi, but they 

 prefer the surface of the pileus, generally the under side ; this they 

 cover with a dense net in which they live.* Others live in decaying 

 wood, especially when covered with Byssus, The larvae form slimy 

 tracts, like slugs, and on these they move backwards and forwards 

 witlj great rapidity. The pupre are enclosed in dense cocoons of 

 silk. The maggots are usually whitish or yellowish, and often live in 

 the same fungi as Mycetophihz larvae, and hence great mistakes have 

 been made in the descriptions of the larvae. The luminosity of these 



* I have also found Sciophihe larvse living inside some tree fungi, which they 

 had covered with their webs. They crawled out of their tunnels as soon as the 

 weather became warmer (March), and crawled about amongst the webs. 



