1916] Life History of Pterodontia 311 



roof of the pharynx. Whether muscular attachment converts 

 this structure into a pharyngeal pump or whether further parts 

 are wanting cannot be determined until additional material is 

 at hand. 



LITERATURE ON THE LATE LARVAL STAGES OF 

 THE CYRTID.'E. 



In Europe Menge (15)* in 1863 was the first to record that 

 the Cyrtid£e are parasitic in the bodies of spiders. He obtained 

 from the nest of a spider, Clubiona putris, a larva which proved 

 to be that of Oncodes palUpes Erich. {Henops marginatiis). 

 Further examination of the nest of the spider revealed the 

 shriveled remains of the spider with a large hole in the underside 

 of the abdomen. Brauer (2) in 1869 described and figured the 

 larva and pupa of Astomella lindenii, which were found in the 

 burrow of a spider, Ctenzia ariana. According to Brauer's (3) 

 observations, the larvae, while lodged within the abdomen of the 

 host, breathe by placing their caudal spiracles in one of the 

 lung-chambers of the spider. The fully grown larva of 

 Astomella lindenii is 10 mm. in length and is comparatively 

 thick. The body has twelve segments. The head segment is 

 small and is fitted with mandibles and maxilla. The larva is 

 amphipneustic, having prothoracic and caudal spiracles. 



In the United States several observers have recorded the 

 finding of Cyrtid larvae, though they have given us no detailed 

 descriptions of them. Among the most important of these are 

 Emerton's (4) observations on the larvae of Acrocea lasciata 

 Wied. The larvae were found clinging to the deserted webs of 

 Amaur chilis sylvestris. They were suspended in the webs, 

 heads uppermost, clinging to it with their jaws and also sup- 

 ported by threads under and around them. The shriveled 

 remains of the spiders were found in the webs. The larvae are 

 described as soft, white maggots from one-eighth to one-fourth 

 of an inch in length with the hinder half of the body thicker 

 than the front half and nearly spherical. A single figure of 

 the larva is shown. Johnson (7) in 1903 is reported as having 

 reared the same species from Lycosa stoni. He states that many 

 spiders, perhaps twenty-five per cent, are parasitized by these 

 flies. Montgomery (16) in 1903 records the occurrence of Cyrtid 



*Xumbers refer to the bibliography, page 000. 



