172 



Tacliinidae. 



Three postsutural dorsocentrals, two præsutural and a pair of præ- 

 scutellar acrostichals. Sciitellum withoiit apical bristles but with 

 the subapical more or less crossing. Abdomen grey or yellowish 

 pruinose with shifting dark tessellations, but with a rather constant 

 middle stripe. Third segment without bristles; all sternites with 

 erect hairs. Fifth sternite with broad lamellæ and a brush. Præ- 

 hypopygial segment grey, with a row of marginal bristles, but for the 

 rest almost bare. Hypopygium yellowish red, likewise nearly bare, 

 only with some bristles. Upper forceps seen from behind broad and 

 broadly cleft, red on basal part, the branches elongated triangular, 

 curved inwards and downwards towards apex; anterior claspers 

 curved, compressed, posterior claspers straight, serrate on anterior 

 side, hooked at apex. Penis chitinised, shining. 

 Legs black, the posterior without long hairs; 

 middle femora with a comb of short strong 

 spinules, and long bristles basally; middle 

 tibiæ without ventral bristle; hind femora 

 with an anteroventral row of bristles. Wings 

 very slightly tinged; subcostal vein bare; 

 costal segment 3 and 5 equal. No distinct 

 costal spine. Squamulæ yellowish white. Hal- 

 teres yellow. 



Female. Similar; frons as broad as the eye; 

 rows of frontal bristles not bending outwards 

 below. Middle tibiæ with a ventral bristle. Ab- 

 domen broad, sixth segment not cleft above, reddish at margin with 

 strong bristles; seventh segment red, with a broad ventral fissure 

 so that two lateral lips are formed, and with a couple of bristles on 

 each side below. 



Length 5 to about 8 mm. 



S.striata is common in Denmark; Amager, Hellerup, Char- 

 lottenlund, Ordrup Mose, Dyrehaven, Geel Skov, Tisvilde and in 

 Jutland at Høruphav, Horsens, Nymindegab, Frederikshavn and 

 Skagen; the dates are ^^/s — ^^/g. I have taken it in copula on ^'^j^. 

 It occurs especially in sandy piaces and is often seen on human 

 excrements. 



Geographical distribution: — Europe; towards the north to 

 northern Scandinavia; further in North Africa, on the Canaries, and 

 in India. 



Remarks: This species, the Type of Ravinia R. D., stands 



Fig. 37. S. striata. 



