BLEPHAROCERIDAE 



465 





^ 



acquaintance with them. The larva of Curupira (Fig. 222) 

 lives in rapid streams in Brazil, fixed by its suckers to stones or 

 roclvs. It consists only of six or seven divisions, with project- 

 ing side-lobes ; the usual segmentation not being visible. There 

 are small tracheal gills near the suckers, and peculiar scale-like 

 organs are placed about the edges of the lobes. Miiller considers 

 that the first lobe is " cephalothorax," corresponding to head, 

 thorax and first abdominal segment of other larvae, the next four 

 lobes he considers to correspond each to an 

 abdominal segment, and the terminal mass 

 to four segments. He also says that 

 certain minute points existing on the sur- 

 face, connected with the tracheal system by '^*^'^ 

 minute strings, represent nine pairs of 

 spiracles. These larvae and their pupae 

 can apparently live only a short time after 

 being taken out of the highly aerated 

 water in which they exist, but Miiller ""^rf^ 

 succeeded in rearing several flies from a 

 number of larvae and pupae that he 

 collected, and, believing them to be all one 

 species, he announced that the females 

 exhibited a highly developed dimorphism, 

 some of them being blood-suckers, others 

 honey-suckers. It is however, more prob- 

 able that these specimens belonged to two 

 or three distinct species or even genera. 

 This point remains to be cleared up. The 

 larva we have figured is called by Miiller 

 Paltostoma torrentium. It is certain, how- 

 ever, that the Brazilian Insect does not 

 belono- to the genus Paltostoma, and it will no doubt bear the 

 name used by Osten Sacken, viz. Curupira. 



The metamorphoses of the European Liponeura hrcvirostris 

 have been partially examined by Dewitz, who found the Insects 

 in the valley of the Ocker in September.^ He does not consider 

 the " cephalothorax " to include an abdominal segment ; and he 

 found that two little, horn-like projections from the thorax of the 



Fig. 222. — Under surface of 

 the larva of Curupira 

 {Paltostoma) torrentium, 

 showing the suckers along 

 the middle of the body, 

 much magnified. Brazil. 

 (After Fritz Muller.) 



1 Berlin, cut. Zcit. xxv. 1881, p. 61 ; and of. Brauer, IVien. ent. Zcit. i. 1S82, 



p. 1. 



VOL. ^^l 



2 H 



