The Crane-Flies of New York — Part I 893 



The immature stages of the known species are spent in decaying vege- 

 table matter, manure, or decaying fungi (R. maculata, R. domestica), in 

 decaying wood or beneath the loose bark of trees (R. uniseriata, R. fidelis, 

 R. hryanti), or perhaps in aquatic situations {R. maculata, according to 

 Needham). 



The following key divides the local species of the genus: 



1. Wings with an abundant pale brown or gray dotting in all the cells 2 



Wings with the markings larger and confined to the vicinity of the veins 3 



2. Body coloration grayish, the prescutum with a broad black median line; postnotum 



gray: wings with a heavy brown pattern along the costal margin, the marks about 

 equal to the interspaces; legs brown; male antennae bipectinate. [Syst. Beschr., 



vol. 1, p. 153, pi. 5, fig. 11. ISIS.] (Plate XXXII, 36.) R. maculata ]\Ieig. 



Body coloration yellowish brown, the prescutum without a broad black median line; 

 postnotum black; wings with small black spots at the base, the subcostal cross-vein, 

 the origin of the sector, and the stigma, these marks much smaller than the interspaces; 

 legs yellow; male anteimae subpectinate. fProc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 581, pi. 27, 

 fig. 23. 1914.] (Plate XXXII, 39.) " R. shannoni Alex. 



3. Prescutum reddish brown with narrow black lines; pleura dull j^ellow with two narrow 



blackish longitudinal stripes; antennae with segments 12 and 13 light yellowish; basal 

 deflection of Cui usuallv far before the fork of M; antennae of the male subpectinate. 

 [Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 208, pi. 3, figs. 8, 9. 1859.] (Plate XXXII, 40.) 



R. domestica 0. S. 



Prescutum gray with a broad black median line; pleura grayish or plumbeous, unstriped; 



antennae black thruout; basal deflection of Cui at the fork of M; antennae of the male 



not subpectinate 4 



4. Wings with the dark pattern beyond the origin of the sector only, a large rounded cloud 



at the origin and fork of the sector, the large rectangular stigma and the radial cells 

 largely darkened; abdomen dark brown, the genitalia reddi.sh yellow; antennae of 

 the male unipectinate. [Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 209. 1859.] (Plate XXXII, 



38.) R. fidelis 0. S. 



Wings with a series of about five large grayish brown blotches along the costal margin, 

 two before the origin of the sector; abdominal tergites ^^ellow, the caudal half of each 

 segment dark brown; antennae of the male bipectinate. [Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. 

 Hist., vol. 34, p. 123, 124, pi. IG, fig. 20. 1909.] (Plate XXXII, 37.) . .R. bryanti Johns. 



R. domestica and R. shannoni are more southern in their distribution, 

 R. fidelis and R. maculata more northern. Some of the species have 

 a very extensive geographical range, R. domestica and its races occurring 

 from Alaska to Argentina, and R. maculata being found thruout northern 

 Europe and North America. 



Genus Dicranomyia Stephens 



1829 Dicranomyia Steph. Cat. Brit. Ins., vol. 2, p. 243. 



1830 Siagona Meig. Syst. Beschr.. vol. 6, plate 65, fig. 7. 



1854 Numantia Bigot. Ann. Soc. Ent. France, ser. 3, vol. 2, p. 470. 



Dicranomyia is one of the largest of the crane-fly genera, there being 

 from one hundred and eighty to one hundred and ninety described species. 



