882 Charles Paul Alexander 



probable that this characteristics is fairly general among crane-flies. An 

 interesting fact is that the great majority of specimens of photophilous 

 species taken are either females, or males and females still in copulation, 

 indicating a nocturnal or a crepuscular oviposition or mating habit for 

 these species. There are many of these species, among them being 

 Erioptera septemtrionis, Limnophila adusta, Pedicia contermina, Nephrotoma 

 ferruginea, Tipula apicalis, T. trivittata, and T. collaris. It is these 

 photophilous species that are so commonly found in houses, they being 

 for the most part species that came to the lights at some earUer time. 



ENEMIES 



At all stages of their existence crane-flies are beset by enemies. The 

 larvae and adults are preyed upon by a great variety of insect-eating 

 birds and amphibia, and by many predacious insects such as beetles, 

 asilid and empidid flies, Odonata, and the like. The larvae are parasitized 

 by certain tachinid flies (Siphona, Admontia) , and many internal parasites 

 (Gregarinidae, Bacteria) and fvmgous diseases (Entomophthora [Empusa]) 

 often prove fatal to crane-flies in their early stages. It is at their periods 

 of transformation and while still soft and teneral that they are most sus- 

 ceptible to attack and injury of all kinds. The adult flies often serve 

 as carriers of little red mites of the genera Trombidium and Rhyncholophus. 

 This condition is very general and a great range of species are affected. 



Many species of the family (Geranomyia, Dicranomyia, Limnophila, 

 and others) live on the faces of vertical cliffs which are often wet with 

 percolating and dropping water, and this results in a certain mortality 

 due to the insects' being struck by the falling drops and dashed into the 

 mud. During heavy rainfalls the smaller crane-flies rest on the underside 

 of the leaves of trees, while the larger forms escape injury by hiding in 

 crevices of the rock or the bark or by remaining closely pressed against 

 the trunks of trees. 



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