136 Tachinidae. 



cleft into two small points. Arms of lower forceps rod-shaped, slightly 

 ciirved, truncate and rounded at apex and a little converging. Legs 

 black, mainly black-haired, but sometimes with some paler hairs 

 below femora. Wings more or less yellowish or brownish yellow 

 tinged, most towards base; veins yellow to brown; first posterior cell 

 more or less narrowly open, sometimes just closed, ending before 

 apex of wing; discai angle rectangular. Squamulæ yellow or yellowish. 

 Balteres yellow. 



Female. Similar; frons broad, as broad as or broader than the 

 eye, frontal stripe black or brown to reddish. 



Length 4,5 — 9 mm. 



P, rudis is very common in Denmark; it occurs during the whole 

 season, but is, I think, most common in late summer. It may be seen 

 very early by fme weather, so that it can no doubt hibernate as 

 imago; it then often is seen sitting on walls, palings and trunks in the 

 sunshine, and it occurs in woods and on fields, not rarely near horders 

 of water. 



Geographical distribution: — All Europe and in Asia down into 

 Cashmere ; towards the nortli to northern Scandinavia ; also occurring 

 in North America. 



2. P. vagabunda Meig. 



1826. Meig. Syst. Beschr. V, 72, 36 (Musca). — 1907. Kat. palåarkt. 

 Dipt. III, 528. — P. caerulescens Strobl, 1894. Mittheil. Ver. Steirm. XXX, 72. 



Male. This species is similar to the preceding. Jowls quite or 

 almost quite black-haired. Antennæ with third joint short, not 

 much longer than second. Palpi black. Thorax a little bluish grey 

 pruinose with three broad black stripes. The felted hairs always 

 paler than in rudis, pale brass-coloured. Bristles as in rudis, but 

 scutellum with three marginal bristles on each side, sometimes, 

 however, further a small lateral present. Abdomen bluish, whitish 

 pruinose, the colours somewhat shifting according to view, but less 

 than in rudis and abdomen not so tessellate; in the main each seg- 

 ment divided into an anterior and a posterior part, the former being 

 white pruinose the latter bluish, or vice versa, according to view; a nar- 

 row black middle stripe distinct. Lower forceps as in rudis, but upper 

 forceps not carinate; seen from behind it is narrowed in the middle, 

 then widening and cleft to middle into two slightly diverging, sharply 

 pointed branches. Legs black, black-haired; bristles stronger than 



