728 Charles Paul Alexander 



Asilidae (robber flies) Prey 



Lasiopogon ductus (Fabr.) Nephrotoma lineata (Scop.) (Poulton, 1906-07, 



as histrio [Fabr.]) 

 Neoitamus cyanunis {L\\'.)(mcopu\a.t\onvfith. Tipula scripta Meig. (Poulton, 1906-07) 



female, the latter with the crane-fly) 

 Proctacanthus philadelphicus Macq. Nephrntomn sp. (2 records, Bromley, 1914) 



Asilus sp. Nephrotoma ferniginea (Fabr.) (3 records, 



Alexander, 1915 c) 

 Asilus flavofemoratus Jiuxe Tipula sp. (McAtee and Banks, 1920:30) 



Asilus notatus Wied. Nephrotoma ferniginea (Fabr.) (McAtee and 



Banks, 1920:31) 

 Asilus paropus Walk. Epiphragma solatrix (0. S.) (McAtee and 



Banks, 1920:31) 

 Asilinae Tipula lateralis Meig. (Poulton, 1906-07) 



The Empididae, or dance flies, are small, predacious flies which are closely related to the 

 robber flies and largely replace them in moist shaded situations. They unquestionably 

 play a most important part in the economy of the Tipulidae, since both groups are practically 

 confined to the same general situations and, in the temperate regions at least, representatives 

 of the two groups are invariably found together. Macquart (Kirby, 1892:229), discussing 

 Empis livida Linn., writes as follows: " Among the thousands of pairs which I have noticed 

 resting on bushes or hedges, nearly all the females were engaged in sucking some insect, 

 sometimes small Phryganidae or Ephemeridae, but more often Tipulidae. They busy 

 themselves with feeding and perpetuating their species at the same time." Howlett (1907) 

 records Empis bnrealis Linn, as feeding on Tipulidae. The following records are from 

 Poulton (1906-07:380-382): Empis tesselata Fabr. prej^s on Tipula lunata Linn., T. 

 paludosa Meig., and other species; Empis livida Linn, preys on Dicranomijia sp. (It is 

 probable that the long-legged flies, Dolichopodidae, likewise play an important r61e in 

 the lives of the Tipulidae, but no records are available to the writer to conflrm this belief.) 



The Scatophagidae (Cordyluridae) , or dung flies, unquestionably play an important part 

 in the lives of the smaller crane-flies (Limnobimae). The following records indicate this 

 relationship, the last being supplied by Malloch: 



Enemy Prey 



Scatophaga suilla (Fabr.) Dicranomyia lulea (Meig.) (Poulton, 1906-07) 



Scntophaga sp. {stercoraria?) Brioptera sp., (Poulton, 1906-07) 



Scatophaga sp. Hexatomamegacera{0. S.) (Alexander, 1915 c^ 



Scatophaga stercoraria (h.) and squalidaMeig. Trichocera (Malloch, 1911) 



Comparatively recently the larvae of Anthomyiidae have been found 

 to play a highly important role in the economy of other insects living in 

 the same haunts. The very important paper by Keilm (1917) may be 

 consulted in connection with this point. This student found the follow- 

 ing Anthomyiidae associated with TipuUdae: Graphomyia maculata Scop., 

 feeding on larvae of Ptychoptera contaminata (L.) (Keilin, 1917:354-360); 

 Allognota agromyzina Fall., associated with and possibly feeding on the 

 larvae of Ula macroptera Macq. (page 360-362 of reference cited); 

 Phaonia cinda Zett., feeding on larvae and pupae of Mycetobia pallipes 

 (page 362-375 of reference); Phaonia goherti Mik, associated with and 

 possibly feeding on the larvae of Gnophomijia tripudians Bergr. (page 



