220 



Tachinidae. 



latum Meig. 1824 1. c. IV, 230, 6. — 1859. Zett. 1. c. XIII, 6147, 2—3. — 1900. 

 Villen. 1. c. 381, 10. — M. hacillans Pand. 1895. 1. c. XIV, 293, 4. — 1907. 

 Villen. Ann. Soc. Ent. de Fr. LXXVI, 381. 



Male. Frons above as broad or broader than the largest dia- 

 meter of the eye, narrowing downwards, somewhat protruding. 

 Orbits yellowish with a little brownisli pruinosity, cheeks and face 

 whitish yellow ; frontal stripe yellow, seen from in front a little whitish 

 pruinose. Frontal bristles reaching just to insertion of antennæ. 

 Vibrissæ a little ascending. Orbits with few black hairs, 

 denser above and liere somewhat long. Cheeks wåth fme, 

 jowls with short and dense yellow hairs. Occipiit brown- 

 ish pruinose, yellow behind vertex; it is black-haired. 

 Antennæ blackish with the basal joints reddish yellow; 

 arista thickened in nearly basal two thirds. Palpi yellow. 

 Thorax greyish brown pruinose wåth four dark stripes, 

 the median abbreviated behind, the lateral interrupted 

 at the suture. Thorax black-haired; three or some- 

 times four postsutural dorsocentrals; acrostichals more 

 or less fme except one or two præscutellar. Scutellum 

 with at least four marginal bristles on each side, but 

 often they are more numerous and irregular. Abdomen 

 yellowish brown pruinose with irregular brown spots, 

 shifting according to view; it is black-haired with some- 

 what small marginal bristles, a pair of rather small 

 on second segment and a row on third and fourth, but 

 on third only the median pair stronger. Legs black, 

 somewhat brownish grey pruinose; front tarsi with 

 fourth joint a little prolonged on posterior side below 

 and here with two (or three) long and strong bristles, passing between 

 the claws and curved almost rectangularly upwards, they are so 

 close-lying that they apparently form one bristle; on anterior side 

 of the joint there is an erect, outstanding bristle. Wings nearly clear; 

 veins blackish brown. Squamulæ yellowish. H alteres yellow. 



Female. Similar; frons of about the same breadth. Front tarsi 

 simple. 



Length 7 — 8 mm. 



M. oestraceum is somew^hat rare in Denmark; Nyraad near Vor- 

 dingborg and in Jutland at Sønderborg and at Sæby; the dates are in 

 June and July. The species is known bred from Dasypoda hirtipes and 

 Podalirius retusus. 



Fig. 64. 

 M. oestra- 

 ceum (J , 

 left front 

 tarsus from 

 posterior 

 side. 



