BOMBYLID.E 475 



the furry pubescence. Genitalia inconspicuous ; those of the male sometimes turned 

 to one side, and the ovipositor sometimes with a circlet of spines {Anthra.r). 



Legs rather long and weak, made for alighting only and never for predatory 

 purposes ; hind pair usually elongated. Moderately strong bristles (like little 

 sticks) may occur beneath the femora (especially the hind pair), and inconspicuous 

 rows of spicules occur down the tiljiae, rarely {Toxoplioriiuh) _ developing into 

 obvious stick-like bristles, while a circlet of terminal spines is almost always 

 present; numerous short bristles occur on the tarsi, especially on the soles, Init 

 touch-hairs are completely absent. Pulvilli two (said to be three in Cyrtosia), the 

 em podium being minute, and sometimes even the pulvilli are only microscopical 

 {Anthrax, etc.) ; claws moderate in size or small, or the front pair very small while 

 the others are normal. 



Wings usually half open or outspread when at rest ; venation distinct from the 

 other families of the Brachyceea (except the Cyrtidce and Scenojyinidw and sonie 

 Strati(jmyidce and Asilidce) owing to the complete absence of the small cross-vein, 

 as the upper branch of the postical vein forms the lower margin of the discal cell for 

 a considerable distance (rarely reduced to a point), and after excluding this_upi)er 

 branch of the postical vein the discal cell emits only two veinlets (or occasionally 

 only one) to or towards the wingmargin, so that there are never more than four and 

 sometimes only three posterior cells ; fork of the cubital vein (when present) almost 

 always rather short and wide open, similar to that in Tahanidce, so that the U])per 

 branch ends well before and the lower branch considerably after the wing-tip ; sub- 

 marginal cells rarely one (F/<tt;/pj/(jus, etc.) commonly two, but sometimes three, 

 four, or even five, the third one being caused by an adventitious cross-vein between 

 the upper branch of the cubital fork and the radial vein, while the others are caused 

 by similar adventitious cross-veins ; prasfurca starting far before the end of the 

 upper basal cell and usually soon dividing at a very acute angle into the radial and 

 cubital veins, but sometimes (Anthracince) extended until almost or cpiite level with 

 the discal cross-vein near the middle of the discal cell, and when this is the case the 

 radial vein usually appears to start from the cubital almost rectangularly and not 

 unfrequently a recurrent veinlet is thrown back at this angle of the radial vein ; 

 discal cell very rarely absent {Cyrtosia, Amiysis. etc.) ; anal cell more often open 

 than closed, but sometimes shortly pedunculate. Alula sometimes strongly developed 

 and either beset with scale-like marginal hairs {Anthrax), or with longer and shaggy 

 hairs {Bomhyliua), or bare and even rippled, but at other times the alula and hind 

 angle of the wing disappear. Wing-membrane sometimes smooth {Phthiria) or 

 sometimes consjncuously rippled or even almost ribbed nt^ar the inargin, miniitely 

 pubescent or only microscopically so {Anthrax). Squamas (alar) rather large with a 

 thickly set rather long broad flattened scale-like fringe {Anthrax), or difficult to see 

 and with a simple short or a woolly long marginal fringe, or {Phf/u'r/a) moderately 

 developed and with a short delicate fringe ; frenum sometimes distinctly widened 

 before the angle and bearing long hairs similar to those surrounding it, but other- 

 Avise the thoracal squamae absent. Halteres small and concealed in the dense 

 pubescence of the furry species, but not at all covered by the squan\a3. 



The metamorphoses of many species are well (though almost always only 

 partially) known; many species of Anfhmcincc {Anthrax, subgenus 

 Hyal anthrax) are parasitic upon the larvae of Lepidoptera, more especially 

 upon Noduidce of the genus Agrotis, but others are parasitic upon Aculeate 

 Hymenoptera (Anthophila) ; Callistoma sometimes proves to be a check 

 upon the ravages of a locust {Caloptcnus italicus) by preying in the egg- 

 capsules of the species; Bonibylias itself is usually parasitic upon Aculeate 

 Hymenoptera {Anthophila such as Andixna, Collctes, etc.). The larvee 

 have an obvious head and are amphipneustic, while the pupae are mummy- 

 like ; the following is quoted from Dr Sharp's (Cambridge Natural History, 

 Insects, Part II., 486) translation of Fabre's writing upon the life history 

 of Argyramceba {Anthrax) irifasciata. "The parent-fly oviposits by 

 " merely dropping a minute egg while flying over the surface of the mass 



