THE INSECTS OF NEW JERSEY. 749 



Family MYDAIDyE. 



The "Midas flies," resemble the "Asilidje" in form and are, like them, 

 predatory. They are much larger, however, with contrasting black and 

 orange colors, the antennee being long and clubbed at tip. They are 

 practically unimportant. 



MYDAS Fab. 

 M. clavatus Drury. Ft. Lee (Bt) ; Caldwell (Cr); Riverton VII, 3, Da- 



CosEa VII, 30, Anglesea VII, 19 (Jn); Brown's Mills VII, 10 (Hk) ; 

 Manumuskin VI, 22 (Dke). 

 M. chrysostoma O. S. ($ fulvifrons Illiger) Stone Harbor VII, 3 (Dke); 

 Avalon VII, 29, Anglesea VII, 19 (Jn). 



Famih' ASILID^. 



Head prominent, very hairy, with short, several-jointed antennse and 

 a short, stout i)roboscis formed for piercing. The body is robust, hairy, 

 the abdomen long, slender, cylindrical, tapering very gradually to the 

 tip. The wings are long and narrow, the legs moderately long and very 

 powerful, densely clothed with spines, while the tips of the tarsi are 

 supplied with imusually long, stout claws. The insects are called "rob- 

 ber-flies" from their habit of pouncing upon, piercing and sucking the 

 juices of other insects in mid-air while holding them in the grasp of their 

 powerful legs. Some of the species are brightly colored, but most of 

 them are of a sober gray with blackish mottlings. These robber-flies, 

 though predatory, can scarcely be considered of much real value to the 

 farmer, because they take anything that comes along, useful or other- 

 wise, and are just as ready to destroy bees as some harmful species. 



The lai'vse are also carnivorous so far as known, and live in the ground 

 or in decaying wood. 



LEPTOGASTER Meigen. 

 L. badius Loew. Dunnfield VII, 8, Jamesburg VII, 4, Riverton VII, 30. 

 L. flavipes Loew. Dunnfield VH, 15, Newark VI, 16 (Jn) ; Trenton VII, 



7 (Hk). 

 L. testaceus Loew. Caldwell (Cr) ; Westville (Jn). 

 L. incisularis Loew. Delair VIII, 7 (Dke), Riverton VII, 30, Atco. 

 L. annulatus Say. (histrio Wied.) Princeton VII, 21 (Jn) ; Trenton 



VII, 7 (Hk). 

 L. pictipes Loew. Dunnfield VII, 12, Clementon V, 30, Atco VI, 18 (Jn) ; 



Belleplain IX, 8 (Dke). 

 L. eudicranus Loew. Pemberton VII, 11 (Hk). 

 L. favillaceus Loew. Newark IV, 14. 



