﻿THE 
  INSECTS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  JERSEY. 
  749 
  

  

  Family 
  MYDAID.^. 
  

  

  The 
  "Midas 
  flies," 
  resemble 
  the 
  "Asilidse" 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  are, 
  like 
  them, 
  

   predatory. 
  They 
  are 
  much 
  larger, 
  however, 
  with 
  contrasting 
  black 
  and 
  

   orange 
  colors, 
  the 
  antennae 
  being 
  long 
  and 
  clubbed 
  at 
  tip. 
  They 
  are 
  

   practically 
  unimportant. 
  

  

  MYDAS 
  Fab. 
  

  

  M. 
  clavatus 
  Drury. 
  Ft. 
  Lee 
  (Bt) 
  ; 
  Caldwell 
  (Cr) 
  ; 
  Riverton 
  VII, 
  3, 
  Da- 
  

   Costa 
  VII, 
  30, 
  Anglesea 
  VII, 
  19 
  (Jn) 
  ; 
  Brown's 
  Mills 
  VII, 
  10 
  (Hk) 
  ; 
  

   Manumuskin 
  VI, 
  22 
  (Dke). 
  

  

  M. 
  chrysostoma 
  O. 
  S. 
  ($ 
  fulvifrons 
  Illiger) 
  Stone 
  Harbor 
  VII, 
  3 
  (Dke); 
  

   Avalon 
  VII, 
  29, 
  Anglesea 
  VII, 
  19 
  (Jn). 
  

  

  Family 
  ASILID^. 
  

  

  Head 
  prominent, 
  very 
  hairy, 
  with 
  short, 
  several-jointed 
  antennge 
  and 
  

   a 
  short, 
  stout 
  proboscis 
  formed 
  for 
  piercing. 
  The 
  body 
  is 
  robust, 
  hairy, 
  

   the 
  abdomen 
  long, 
  slender, 
  cylindrical, 
  tapering 
  very 
  gradually 
  to 
  the 
  

   tip. 
  The 
  -wings 
  are 
  long 
  and 
  narrow, 
  the 
  legs 
  moderately 
  long 
  and 
  very 
  

   powerful, 
  densely 
  clothed 
  with 
  spines, 
  while 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  tarsi 
  are 
  

   supplied 
  with 
  unusually 
  long, 
  stout 
  claws. 
  The 
  insects 
  are 
  called 
  "rob- 
  

   ber-flies" 
  from 
  their 
  habit 
  of 
  pouncing 
  upon, 
  piercing 
  and 
  sucking 
  the 
  

   juices 
  of 
  other 
  insects 
  in 
  mid-air 
  while 
  holding 
  them 
  in 
  -the 
  grasp 
  of 
  their 
  

   powerful 
  legs. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  are 
  brightly 
  colored, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  

   them 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  sober 
  gray 
  with 
  blackish 
  mottlings. 
  These 
  robber-flies, 
  

   though 
  predatory, 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  considered 
  of 
  much 
  real 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  

   farmer, 
  because 
  they 
  take 
  anything 
  that 
  comes 
  along, 
  useful 
  or 
  other- 
  

   wise, 
  and 
  are 
  just 
  as 
  ready 
  to 
  destroy 
  bees 
  as 
  some 
  harmful 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  lai-vae 
  are 
  also 
  carnivorous 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  known, 
  and 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  

   or 
  in 
  decaying 
  wood. 
  

  

  LEPTOGASTER 
  Meigen. 
  

   L. 
  badius 
  Loew. 
  Dunnfield 
  VII, 
  8, 
  Jamesburg 
  VII, 
  4, 
  Riverton 
  VII, 
  30. 
  

   L. 
  flavipes 
  Loew. 
  Dunnfield 
  VII, 
  15, 
  Newark 
  VI, 
  16 
  (Jn) 
  ; 
  Trenton 
  VII, 
  

  

  7 
  (Hk). 
  

   L. 
  testaceus 
  Loew. 
  Caldwell 
  (Cr) 
  ; 
  Westville 
  (Jn). 
  

   L. 
  incisularis 
  Loew. 
  Delair 
  VIII, 
  7 
  (Dke), 
  Riverton 
  VII, 
  30, 
  Atco. 
  

   L. 
  annulatus 
  Say. 
  (histrio 
  Wied.) 
  Princeton 
  VII, 
  21 
  (Jn) 
  ; 
  Trenton 
  

  

  VII, 
  7 
  (Hk). 
  

   L. 
  pictipes 
  Loew. 
  Dunnfield 
  VII, 
  12, 
  Clementon 
  V, 
  30, 
  Atco 
  VI, 
  18 
  (Jn) 
  ; 
  

  

  Belleplain 
  IX, 
  8 
  (Dke). 
  

   L. 
  eudicranus 
  Loew. 
  Pemberton 
  VII, 
  11 
  (Hk). 
  

   L. 
  favillaceus 
  Loew. 
  Newark 
  IV, 
  14. 
  

  

  