.1 Monograph of Egyptian Di-ptera. 45 



4. LASIOI'IITIIICUS ROJ\D. 



Rond., Nuov. Annal, Sci. Nat, Bologna, (2). II. 459. XXXI., 

 (Lasiopthicus) (1844) ct Annal. Ace. Asp. Nat. Nap., III. 157. 

 {Lasiophticus) (1846). 



SYNONYMY: Catabomba Ost.-Sack., West. Dipt., Bull. 

 Geolog. Survey, III. N" 2. 326. (1877) et Catal. N.A. Dipt,, ed. ii. 

 244. (1896); Willist., Syn. N.A. Syrph., 62.(1886); Mik, Wien.Ent. 

 Zeitg., I. 154., VII. 222. (1888); Verb., Brit. FL, VII. 333., Cat. 

 Syrph., 55. (1901). 



This genus is distinguished from the Genus Syrphus by the 

 very much inflated frons in both sexes, owing to which the space 

 between the eyes diminishes from the frons to the mouth ; in the 

 male there is also an area of large facets on the upper and middle 

 portion of the eye. 



The metamorphoses of members of this genus have been known 

 since 1760 when Linnaeus speaks of the larva of Musca pyrastri 

 found feeding among Aphids on Pyrus. Lundbeck also states that 

 the same larva is mentioned by Reaumur (1737) as occurring on 

 Sambucus and Lonicera; by De Geer (1776) on Rosa (Musca roses); 

 by Meigen (1822) on Sonchus oleraceus; by Vallot (1834) on Can- 

 nabis; by Curtis (1857) on Brassica oleracea on the shore in July ; 

 and by Schiner (1857) from Carduus. Verrall also states that the 

 same species was bred from Rosa, and from larvae feeding on 

 Aphis brassica) and pruni, and on an Aphis from Centaurea. 



Lundbeck gives the following description of the larva of L. 

 pyrastri: "it is not much flattened, tapering towards the anterior 

 end and with strong mouth hooks; it is strongly transversely cor- 

 rugated, and the dermis is shagreened from densely placed small 

 spines; on the ventral side there are seven transverse swellings, 

 each belonging to a segment ; the swellings are divided into some 

 warts somewhat similar to prolegs. On the dorsal side there are 

 some longer hairs or spines, placed, distantly in transverse rows 

 on some of the corrugations, and similar ones are found along the 

 sides; they are regularly placed quite in the same way as described 

 for Platychirus viz. on the second to seventh abdominal segments, 

 two on one corrugation in the middle, and on the following cor- 

 rugation two on each side, besides the three lateral ones longer 



