Therevidae. 137 



have a pair of bristles on the ventral side. The first seven abdominal 

 segments have on each side a curious pattern formed by inipressed 

 lines and almost resembling two crosses, placed one above the other; 

 on the intermediate segments this pattern is not present, but there 

 are here some lines formed by punctiform muscular impressions. The 

 last segment has the apical part marked off, so that it seems divided 

 into two ; it has six bristles and terminates in two small, styliform 

 warts. The larva is amphipneustic with spiracles on prothorax and 

 on the part which apparently is the last segment but two. — The 

 pupa is dirty yellowish; on the front side of the head lie the antennal 

 sheaths, directed to each side; at the base of the wing-sheath there 

 is a tubercle terminating in a thin spine. The second to sixth abdo- 

 minal segments each have a girdle of strong bristles, intermingled 

 with short spines, all round near the hind margin; on the sides they 

 are placed somewhat tuft-like on a slight protuberance also bearing 

 the spiracle; on the first segment there is only one such bristle on 

 each side on the protuberance mentioned. The last segment terminates 

 in a long, blackish brown, thin, bifid spine. The sheaths of the legs 

 reach to the middle of the second abdominal segment. There are 

 prothoracic and seven pairs of abdominal spiracles, all somewhat 

 tube-shaped. 



The larvæ live in the earth in woods, in hollow trees or in 

 fungi. They are carnivorous and devour other larvæ; when they are 

 kept in captivity several together, they attack and devour each other. 

 They move very quickly in the earth by serpent-like movements 

 of the body, They hibernate and the transformation to pupa and 

 development of the imago take place in spring or summer. — The 

 developmental stages of several species are known. Meigen (Syst. 

 Beschr. II, 1820, 17) bred T. nohilitata from larvæ found in decaying 

 stubs; Beling (Arch. ftir Naturgesch. Jahrg. 41, 1875, 43) bred the 

 same species from larvæ found in the earth, especially in pine-woods, 

 in cow-dung and in decaying wood. Letzner (Arbeit. schles. Ges. 

 Vaterl. Kult., 1854, 99) bred T. suhfasciata. Zetterstedt (Dipt. Scand. 

 I, 1842,210) mentions the pupa of T. anmdata found under a stone. 

 T. piebeja was bred by Frisch (Beschr. allerl. Ins. I, 1720, 34, T. IX) 

 from a larva found in rich soil, and by Bouché (Naturgesch. d. Ins. 

 1834, 45, T. IV, Fig. 16 — 20) from larvæ found in the soil in gardens. 

 The larva of T. anilis (Bouché 1. c.) was found in pine-woods under 

 decaying leaves and moss, and by Scholtz (Zeitschr. Entom. Bresl. 

 1848, 1— III, 20) in Polyporus. Beling (1. c. 46) found larvæ and pupæ 

 of T. oculata in cow-dung. The same author bred T. circumscripta? 

 (1. c. 47) from larvæ found in the earth, under leaves and in decaying 



