Stratiomyiidae. 41 



or hairy in botli sexes. or hairy in tiie male and almost bare in the 

 female; tiiey are touching in the male, separated in tlie female. In 

 tlie male the upper facets are larger than the lower. The oral cone 

 ratliershort, clypeus linear; proboscis short with broad labella; labruni 

 as long as labiuni, semitubular; hypopharynx triangular, short, pointed; 

 the niaxillæ consisting of a basal piece with a very small lacinia and 

 short, two-jointed palpi. Thorax slightly longer than broad, scutelluni 

 with two spines. Abdomen somewhat broader than the thorax, con- 

 sisting of live segments. The male genitalia show a median apparatus 

 and a somewhat claw-shaped lamella on eacli side. Wings with the 

 radial vein very indistinct, the cubital vein forked; from the diseal 

 and second basal cell rise four veins, the fourth being the anterior 

 branch of the postical vein, tiius there are five posterior eells: between 

 tlie discai cell and the postical vein a short postical cross-vein. At 

 rest the wings lie parallel over the abdomen, one covering the other. 



The larvæ are elongated, somewhat flattened, descreasing in breadth 

 towards each end and thus fusiform, but witli tlie greatest breadth 

 before the middle. The body consists of twelve segments in all ; there 

 is a fold at the anterior corner of several of the middle segments at 

 the side margin, that especially on some of the segments forms a spine- 

 shaped protuberance; the segments are broader than long, except some 

 of the last and sometimes the protlioracic ; the last segment is long 

 but of different length in the different species; it bears beneath the 

 anus as a longitudinal split. The segments bear some j^ristles on the 

 dorsal and ventral surfaces. The head is conical, above in front it 

 is cleft in three lobes. the median forniing a labrum, the lateral bearing 

 at the point a small antennal papilia. At the base of the lateral lobes 

 there is on each side a distinct eye. The maxillæ have one-jointed 

 jialjM. There is a small spiracle on the prothorax and then on the 

 metathorax and on each of the flrst seven abdominal segments; in the 

 apex of the last segment there is a transverse, spiracular split, surrounded 

 by a coronet of feathery hairs. 



Tlie larvæ live in water or in mud, in the water they are often 

 seen to hang at the surface by their tail coronet of hairs which then 

 is spread out asteriformly. In late autumn or in early spring they may 

 be found in flood refuse at the border of water. The larvæ hibernate, 

 and the transformation to pupæ and development of the imago take 

 place in summer. The pupæ may be found floating in tlie water, or 

 at the border. 



The species of Stratiomyia occav especially near water, in fens 

 and similar localities. where they generally are seen on flowers of 

 Umbelliferæ; they are not very lively, and are easily caught, only on 



