514 BOMBYLID^ 



three • posterior cells three only, all open, first one long and usually narrowing towards 

 the Avingmargin ; cubital fork wide open ; discal cross-vein upright and placed after 

 the middle of the discal cell ; anal cell closed and petiolate ; alula absent, and the 

 hind angle of the wing quite shelved off. Squamte apparently absent, but the alar 

 pair existing though small. Halteres very conspicuous, on long stalks. 



This subfamily is difficult to locate. The three posterior cells and 

 wide open cubital fork at once place the species in the Bomhylidce, but 

 they are as widely removed as possible from the Bomlylince and Anthra- 

 cince ; their nearest allies are apparently the Toxo2)Jiorince (with which 

 Schiner united them because of the three posterior cells), and with 

 which they somewhat agree in the shape of the body, in the elongate 

 basal joint of the antenna, and in the sloped scutellum, but from which 

 they are very distinct in the absence of bristles or pubescence and in the 

 hollowed-out back of the head. They are apparently mimics of Ammo- 

 phila {Hyi^icnoptcra), but give an idea in structure of Leijtoijaster 

 (Asilidcc). 



The Systroj)incc are composed of only two genera {Systropus and 

 Dolichomyia) and about forty species, which mainly occur in Africa, Asia, 

 and North and South America, though quite recently some Chinese species 

 have been described. The larvae are parasitic on Lepidoptera (Limacodes). 



Synonymy. — The erroneous spelling Xystropus was first suggested by Agassiz in 

 1846.' 



