Lasiophthicus. 259 



1737, Tab. XXX, Fig. 3—5, Tab. XXXI, Fig. 9—10) on Sambucus and 

 Lonicera. De Geer (Mém. Ins. VI, 1776, 108, 5, Tab. VI, Fig. 14—21) men- 

 tions it from Rosa {Musca rosae), Meigen (Sysl. Beschr. III, 1822, 303) 

 from Sonchus oleraceus, Vallot (Bull. Soc. ent. de Fr. 1834, LXV) from 

 Cannabis, Curtis (Farm. Ins. 1857, 81) from Brassica oleracea at the 

 shore in July, Schiner (Verh. zool. bot. Geseli. Wien, VII, 1857, 338) 

 from Carduus; Verrall (Brit. Fl. VIII, 336) records the species as bred 

 from Rosa and from larvæ feeding on Aphis hrassicæ and prmii, and 

 on an Aphis on Gentaurea; one specimen emerged on ^'^/e after resting 

 as pupa for three weeks ; Aldrich (Gat. N. A. Dipt. 1905, 363) records 

 the larva as feeding on Siphonophora avenue; Martelli (Boll. del Lab. 

 di Zool. Gen. e Agrar, in Portici, V, 1911, 45) mentions it frorn Aphis 

 brassicae. Mr. Kryger has found the larva among Aphides on Carex 

 and PJiragmites on Amager on ^^'t, the imagines came in the first 

 half of August; fmally I have myself found the larva in great numbers 

 among Aphides on Phragmites on Amager near the shore; the larvæ 

 were taken on -^/s, they pupated the following days, and the imagines 

 came from ^'Vs and further on. The larva of seleniticus is mentioned 

 by Ratzeburg (if correct) (Die Forstins. III, 1844, 178), and by Zeller 

 (Isis 1842, 829) as found on Betula; Verrall (1. c. 337) records this 

 species as bred from a larva found in June and developing in July, 

 and from another larva, beaten from a tree. — The larva of pyrastri 

 (and that of seleniticus seems to be similar) is of the usual shape of 

 Syrphus-\B.rvæ ; it is not much flattened, tapering towards the anterior 

 end, and with strong mouth hooks ; it is strongly transversely corru- 

 gated, and the dermis is chagreened from densely placed small spines; 

 on the ventral side there are seven transverse swellings, each belonging 

 to a segment; the swellings are divided into some warts, somewhat 

 similar to prolegs. On the dorsal side there are some longer hairs 

 or spines, placed distantly in transverse rows on some of the corruga- 

 tions, and similar are found along the sides; they are regularly placed 

 quite in the same way as described for Platychirus viz. on the second 

 to seventh abdominal segments, two on one corrugation in the middle, 

 and on the following corrugation two on each side, besides the three 

 lateral ones longer downwards; then follow two corrugations without 

 spines, and hereafter the same arrangement is repeated ; these segments 

 are each divided into four corrugations and the spines are placed on 

 the two middle ones; on the first abdominal segment and on the 

 meso- and metathoracal segments there are six spines on each on one 

 corrugation, and on the first abdominal segment also three at the side. 

 At the posterior end the body terminales below with a somewhat 

 cushion-shaped part, and above it is a cavity in which the brown 



17* 



