Asilidae. 63 



Fiiss. as prey. Zeller (Isis 1840, 53) iiientions that it takes Fhylloperta 

 horticola L. and Dolerus niger L. 



Geographical distribution: — Most parts of Europe down into 

 France; tovvards the north to middle Scandinavia and southern Fin- 

 land. 



10. Asilus L. 



Large species of lively colours, slightly hairy. Face broad, slightly 

 widened downwards; epistomal callus not large, reaching little more 

 than half the height of the epistoma. Proboscis rather long, some- 

 what pointed. Antennæ placed somewhat above the middle, the hairs 

 on the under side of the basal joints short. The facets in the front 

 part of the eye very slightly enlarged. The dorsocentral bristles only 

 present on the hindmost part of thorax. No bristles at the hind 

 margin of the abdominal segments. A row of spine-like bristles on 

 the ventral side of the front femora. Male genitalia small, the arms 

 of the upper forceps rounded at the apex; the ventral lamella not 

 shining. The female ovipositor pointed conical with free lamellæ, 



Of the genus three palæarctic species are known; one is found 

 in Denmark. 



1. A. crabroniformis L. 



1761. Linn. Fn. Suec. 1908. — 1842. Zett. Dipt. Scand. I, 165, 1 et 

 1855. XII, 4560, 1. — 1849. Low, Linn. Entom. IV, 132, 67. - 1862. 

 Schin. F. A. I, 143. — 1903. Kat. palåarkt. Dipt. II, 145. 



Male. Face and epistomal callus yellowish pruinose; epistomal 

 beard yellow or reddish yellow. Proboscis black, reddish on the 

 under side at the base; palpi reddish with reddish, at the apex black 

 hairs. Frons and vertex brownish yellow with yellow hairs. Occiput 

 yellow pruinose, occipito-orbital bristles yellow, the hairs somewhat 

 paler downwards. Antennæ black with the two first joints ferrugineous : 

 on the under side of the first joint short black, of the second short 

 yellow hairs. Thorax yellowish brown, darkest behind, with a dark 

 brown middle stripe, disappearing behind and divided by a narrow 

 middle line; no side stripes. The disc has short, somewhat depressed 

 hairs, being longer behind, they are black in the middle and behind, 

 yellow at the sides; the bristles yellow. The scutellum dark brown 

 with black, erect hairs; the marginal bristles yellow, generally with a 

 couple of black intermingled. Pleura blackish, reddish pruinose, with 

 some longer, generally black hairs; on the pteropleura, below the 

 wing-root, there is a tuft of a few yellow or black bristles which are 

 curved strongly forwards; the bristles in the vertical row on meta- 



