Xylofihagidae. 7/ 



in a slender ovipositor with a pair of small lamellæ at the apex. 

 Wings with the cubital vein foriced; between the discai cell and the 

 postical vein is a postical cross-vein ; there are five posterior cells. 

 all open. 



The larva is elongate, cylindrical, whitish yellow; the body con- 

 sists of twelve segments, inchiding the head; at the anterior margin 

 of each of the abdominal segments, except the last, there is, on the 

 ventral and dorsal surface, a transverse swelling set with small spines 

 in two rows; the swelling on the dorsal side of the penultimate 

 segment is rudimentary. The segments bear some bristles on the 

 sides. The head is long, conical, pointed, browiiish black chitinised. 



Fig. 2S. Wing of X. afer. 



The mouth parts are small, consisting of hookformed. not thooted. 

 mandibles, and more scaleformcd maxillæ with small palpi. The 

 thoracic segments are, on the dorsal surface, reddish brown, strongly 

 chitinised, on the third segment sometimes the chitinising forms only 

 lateral piates. The last segment is rounded, somewhat bulbous, it 

 bears the anus on the ventral side as a longitudinal split between a 

 pair of swollen lips; the lips are surrounded by a circular groove 

 with. small spines, from each side of which a similar, v-shaped groove 

 stretches out. On the dorsal surface of the segment there is, at the 

 apex, a somewhat triangular, chitinised plate, ending in two dorsally 

 curved spines, and in front of this plate there are two pairs of small 

 piates. The larva is amphipneustic with a large prothoracic spiracle 

 on each side of prothorax, and a pair of spiracles at the apex, in the 

 terminal plate mentioned. The length of the larva is about 30 mm. 

 The pupa is free; it is generally somewhat curved; the antennal 

 sheaths are lying backwards to each side, and in front, between them, 

 there is a pair of strong, outwardly curved spines ; the abdominal segments 

 have each a girdle of strong bristles near the hind margin, these bristles 

 are longest on the sides of the segments; the last segment terminates 

 in a pair of spines. There is a pair of prothoracic and seven pairs 

 of abdominal spiracles The length is about 14 mm. 



The larvæ live in decaying wood in .stems and stubs of different 

 trees as flr, beech, poplar, birch and alder; they are carnivorous and 

 rapacious creatures, and devour larvæ of various Coleoptera as Pyrochroa 

 coccinea and Tomicinæ as also larvæ of Tipulids. They were originally 



