Echinomyia. 427 



of the latter small or wanting. Scutellum with a varying number of 

 up to eight, strong marginal and submarginal bristles on each side, 

 and with bristly hairs and some bristles on the disc. Abdomen black, 

 shining, rarely obsciirely brownish at the sides of anterior segments; 

 it is densely black-haired; second segment with two to four marginal 

 bristles on each side, third with three to seven and fourth with a 

 dense row. Sternites with strong bristles. Upper forceps elongated 

 triangular, prolonged into a long beak ending in a spine-like apex; 

 it has dense, recurved hairs, the apex bare; arms of lower forceps 

 somewhat triangular, outwards connected with the segment, the 

 inner margin is curved inwards and has a dilatation towards apex; 

 the apex itself is prolonged into a strong, rectangularly inwards 

 curved spine-like tooth; they are haired on the hinder surface. Legs 

 black, tibiæ more or less reddish; front tibiæ brown-haired on anterior 

 side; the legs are strongly bristled. Wings yellowish at base; veins 

 yellow, outwards brownish. Squamulæ dark brownish. Halteres 

 yellowish. 



Female. Similar; frons a little broader; third antennal joint 

 about quadratic, not dilated inwards. 



Length 15 — 20 mm. 



This large and characteristic species is the largest European 

 Tachinid; it is also distinguished by its numerous strong bristles, 

 which are, however, on account of their large number rather varying 

 in this respect. The species is not rare in Denmark, but generally 

 only present singly or in small number. It occurs especially on umbelli- 

 fers and composites, I have taken it on Eupatorium and also on 

 Thymus. Tisvilde, Rørvig, Jægerspris; in Jutland at Kliplev, Hald, 

 Funder, Ullitz, Rebbild and Buderupholm, and on Bornholm at 

 Sandvig and Blykobbe Aa; the dates are ^/^ — ^^/g. In our old collec- 

 tion (Stæger) it is numerously present but without particular locality. 

 We have it bred from Lasiocampa quercus and Macrothylacia riibi 

 (Weis); horn Lasiocampa it emerged on ^/7. Besides, it is known from 

 Hyloicus pinastri, Lasiocampa trifolii and Lemonia dumi. 



Geographical distribution: — Europe; towards the north to 

 middle Sweden. 



2. E. fera Linn. 



1758. Linn. Syst. Nat. X, 592 et 1767. XII, 2, 991, 74 {Musca). — 1764. 

 MuU. Faun. Fridrichsd. 83, 734 {Musca). — 1805. Fabr. Syst. Antl. 308, 1 

 {Tachina). — 1820. Fall. Dipt. Suec. Muse. 3, 2 p. p. (Tackina). — 1824. Meig. 



