Aphiochaeta. 205 



are only very scantily known, a number of species have, however, 

 been bred, so that some facts are known about their feeding habits, 

 but only relatively few larvæ are described. Bouché (Naturgesch. d. 

 Ins. 1834, 102) seems to be the first author who has mentioned the 

 larva [Phora heracleellae which is considered to be identical with 

 sordida Zett., though I am inclined to think it is rufipes, the author 

 having confused the two sexes). I sliall not here enumerate the cases 

 in which species have been bred, mentioned in the literature, but refer 

 to Brauer (Denkschr, d. kais. Akad. d. Wissensch. Wien, math. nat. 

 Cl. 1883, 66) and Keilin (Bull. Se. France Belgique (7) 45, 61 et 79), 

 and in 1912 Malloch (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 43, 412) has given a list 

 with brief notations of the habits of the most species of which they are 

 known; also Grandi (Boll. Lab. Zool. Gen. et Agrar. Portici, VIII, 

 1914, 242) gives an enumeration of the known habits, The larvæ 

 have been found feeding on decaying animal and vegetable substances 

 of many various kinds; species have been bred from decaying leaves 

 (Malloch, Ent. Month. Mag. 2, XX, 1909, 36, mentions that he has 

 found ruflpes mining in leaves of turnips, but the larva no doubt 

 fed on the decaying leaves, as suggested by Wood, ibid. 2, XXII, 

 1911, 69), from decaying potatoes, from various species of fungi, 

 fresh or most often decaying, from onions and also from dung; further 

 they have been bred from dead insects of many various kinds, from 

 nests of wasps and bees, and from various dead snails; rufipes, which 

 is so common in our houses, has been bred from old cheese, from a 

 concentrated solution of soap and from old human excrements, besides 

 that it has in the free been found in decomposing animal and vegetable 

 matters. The following list of recorded habits for species of the genus 

 can be given: A. Giraudii Egg. from cocoon of Cimhex variabilis; 

 A. ruficornis Meig. from dead snails; A. rata Wood from nests of 

 Bombus and Vespa^ from decaying vegetable matters with Nepticula 

 and from a larva of Clerus formicarius; A. sordida Zett.? {heracleellae 

 Bouché) from larvæ of Tinea heracleella; A. minor Zett. from cocoon 

 of Cimbex americana; A. flava Fall. from an Agaricus; A. sulphuripes 

 Meig. (lutea) from an Agaricus, from pupa of Sphinx pinastri {semi- 

 flava Hartig) and from dunged humus with larvæ of Bibio pomonæ 

 (Engel: Wien. Ent. Zeitg. XXXV, 1916, 57); A. rufipes Meig. from 

 old cheese, concentrated dilution of soap, old human excrements, 

 humus impregnated with manure, decaying leaves, decaying potatoes, 

 various fresh or decaying fungi, and from Lactaria deliciosa and 

 Psalliota campestris in which lived Limonia xanthoptera (= Limnobia 



