482 Tachinidae. 



black-haired. Scutellum with a pair of erect præapical and somo 

 smaller discai bristles. Pteropleura with a bunch of longish hairs 

 above. Abdomen black, shining, the three last segments with a 

 broad, whitish pruinose front band, shifting with dark according to 

 view; abdomen with depressed black hairs and only marginal bristles; 

 on second segment none, on third a pair and on fourth a row of only 

 six bristles, the median pair placed somewhat forwards; fifth seg- 

 ment with two rows. Upper forceps claw-like curved inwards, with 

 a deep median furrow; arms of lower forceps somewhat triangular 

 lamellæ, with a straight front and a convex hind margin, of same 



Fig. 102. Wing of V. ruralis. 



length as upper forceps. Legs black, with strong bristles, also on 

 front coxæ; claws and piilvilh considerably elongated. Wings some- 

 what brownish; veins brown; first posterior cell open; discai angle 

 nearly rectangular, with a veinlet or fold; apical cross- vein a little 

 incurved above the angle, for the rest straight; posterior cross- vein 

 rather oblique, ending above beyond middle between medial cross- vein 

 and angle; subcostal vein with bristles in whole length, cubital vein to 

 near medial cross-vein or a little beyond it. Squamulæ white. H alteres 

 brown. 



Female. Similar; frons a little broader. 



Length 6,5 to about 10 mm. 



V. ruralis is not rare in Denmark; Ordrup, Ermelund, Dyre- 

 haven, Ruderhegn, Hørsholm, Hornbæk, Gilleleje, Lave Skov near 

 Helsingør, Stensby Skov, Ringsted; on Langeland at Lohals; on 

 Lolland at Maribo; on Funen at Hoffmansgave, in Jutland at Søn- 

 derborg, Madeskov, Høraphav, Hardeshøj, Kolding and Frederiks- 

 havn, and on Bornholm at Hammeren; the dates are ^'/e — ^^/lo- I^ 

 occurs on leaves and in low herbage in and at woods. It is known 

 as parasitic on Plusia gamma, chrysitis and iota, Anarta myrtilli, 

 Py rameis atalanta, Mamestra brassicae, and the non Danish Arctia 

 hehe, and also recorded from Lophyrus pini; the var. ambigua, \\dth 



