134 



ENTOMOLOGY. 



Fig. 161. -Robber fly, Erax 

 bastardii.— After Riley. 



a large beetle (Rtuzotrogus), on which secondary hosts the}' are ap- 

 parently parasitic. 



Family Midasidae. — Antennae club-shaped, the third joint composed 

 of several distinct joints. Midas rbrratus Drury. 



Family Asilidae. — The robber-flies are large insects, one species 

 being two inches long; third joint of antenna simple; with or with- 

 out bristle or style; and the under lip horny; they are the most sav- 

 age and rapacious of all flies, their beak being well developed. 

 Proinaclais fttchii O. Sacken was once ob- 

 served to destroy one hundred and forty-one 

 honey-bees in a day; Lapbria resembles 

 humble-bees. Asilitsnovm-scoticB M&cq.; Erax 

 bastardii Macq. (Fig. 161, b, pupa). 



Family Leptidae. — Antennae with the third 

 joint simple, with a simple or thickened 

 styliform bristle; three membranous pads 

 below the claws. Leptis aUricornis Say. 



Family Tabanidae. — Third joint of the an- 

 tenna? annulate, and always without style 

 or bristle; eyes large; tegulse large. The 

 females of the horse-flies alone bite, the jaws 

 and maxilla? being awl-like, rendering the 

 bite painful. Tabanus lineola Fabr., Chry- 

 sops niger Macq. 

 Family Acanthomeridae. — Very large flies, 



with mouth-parts consisting, even in the males, 

 of four bristles. Acanthomera bellardii Bigot. 



Family Stratiomyidae.— Third antenna! joint 

 annulated; costal vein only reaching the middle 

 of the wing; tibia? not spurred. The larvae live 

 in water, earth, or decaying wood. Fig. 162 

 represents a larva found living in abundance in 

 the alkaline waters of Clear Lake, Cal. Stra- 

 tiomyia picipes Loew. Sargus decerns Say. 

 Family Coenomyidae. — Canomyia pallida Say. 

 Family Xylophagidae. — Third antenna! joint 

 annulated; costal vein encompassing the whole 

 wing. Xylophagus rufipes Loew. 



The succeeding families belong to Sec- 

 tion 2, Xematocera, in which the antennae 

 are long and maii3*-jointed. 



Family Ehypliidae. — Three ocelli; wings with 

 a perfect discal cell. Rhyphus altematus Say. 



Family Di-idae.— Dixa clavata Loew. 



Family Tipulidae. — No ocelli; legs ver} r long. 

 The crane-flies form an extensive group whose 

 larva 1 live in soil, mould, fungi, and sometimes 

 in the water; they are represented by Trkhocera 

 regelationis Linn., Tipitla trivittata Say, etc. 



Family Psychodidae. — Body with long coarse 

 hairs; wings very short and broad. Very small 

 flies seen flying and leaping on windows, etc. Pxychodes allernata Say. 



Fig. 162. —Larva of 

 Stratiomyia. 



