ENERGOPODA 611 



femora and tibiae are sometimes absorbed in dense coarse pubescence. 

 Pulvilli two, the empodium being represented by a bristle ; claws usually 

 powerful and strongly curved. 



AVings with the full venation of the Beachyceka, there being almost 

 invariably five posterior cells, a long cubital fork, a long contracted or 

 closed anal cell, and a very long subcostal vein which usually receives the 

 radial vein before its tip ; mediastinal vein unusually long ; ambient vein 

 almost always complete ; small cross-vein usually present bub occasionally 

 just absent; prsefurca fairly long. Wing-membrane ribbed or wrinkled 

 in Asilidce but smooth in Apioceridm. Alar squamse moderately well 

 developed though not large, and usually bearing a soft marginal fringe down 

 to the angle ; thoracal squamas entirely absent, and the frenum bare. 



Larvee in some cases predaceous upon other larvse and in other cases 

 occurring in earth and then probably carnivorous. Perfect insects never 

 hoverers or even dancers (unless in courtship) and never bloodsuckers, 

 but in the Asilidce always predatory upon other insects. The Apioceridm 

 are said to be not predaceous. 



The Energopoda must be allied to the Thercvidce, the Mydaidce, and 

 the Empidm, but are distinguished from the two former by the strong 

 chffitotaxy and from the latter by the more elaborate venation. Their 

 distinctness is not likely to cause the British collector any trouble. 



ARRANGEMENT. 



The natural sequence must go from the Thercvidce and Mydaidce 

 through the Apioccridcc to the Asilidce, and in the Asilidce the Asilince 

 belonging to the genera about Urax must be the most nearly allied to the 

 Apioceridce. ; consequently a reversal of the usual arrangement of the 

 subfamilies becomes necessary, and this seems more natural because 

 at the other end of the family the Dasypogonince and Leptogastrince bear 

 considerable affinity to the Empidce (especially Hylotince) ; the Dasypo- 

 gonince through their usual absence of pubescence and the reduction of 

 their chsetotaxy and the similarity of build between such genera as 

 Holopogon and Hylos ; and the Leptogastrincc through the absence of any 

 hind angle to the wing. 



I have restricted Osten Sacken's conception of the Energopoda to a 

 very much smaller limit than he proposed, because I consider that the 

 MiGROPHONA form an eminently natural group which is abundantly dis- 

 tinct from the Energopoda. 



