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FAMILY TACHINIDAE 



Small to large, bristly flies with thick-set bodies. Antenna of the 

 muscid type; arista entirely bare. Proboscis either short or long. 

 Abdomen composed of four or five visible segments armed with lateral 

 and terminal bristles. First posterior cell either narrowed or closed. 

 Squamae well developed. Larvae parasites of other insects. Adult flies 

 flower feeders. 



At the present time this family contains nearly 200 genera, about 180 

 of which are found in North America ; many of them bear a superficial 

 resemblance to the Sarcophagidae (see below), but can be distinguished by 

 the bare arista, the well-developed squamae and the closed or narrowed 

 first posterior cell. The mature insects live on the juices of plants and 

 flowers, and are usually found in places frequented by the hosts which 

 the}- parasitize. The larvae of the Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera are 

 their usual hosts, but some parasitize those of the Coleoptera, Orthoptera, 

 Hemiptera and even Diptera. In America their breeding habits have 

 been carefully studied, and several species have been used in checking 

 other injurious insects, particularly certain species of moth, but it must 

 be admitted with very little success. The various methods employed by 

 the female flies in parasitizing their hosts are described in the case of 

 several species by Townsend in a paper entitled, ' A record of results 

 from rearing and dissections of Tachinidae ' ; the worker who is interested 

 in this subject should consult this valuable paper. 



FAMILY SARCOPHAGIDAE 



Medium-sized to large thick-set flies. Front broad in the female, 

 somewhat narrower in the male. Arista plumose to the middle or a 

 little beyond it, the distal portion bare. Abdomen composed of four 

 visible segments ; bristles as a rule confined to the distal portion, but 

 sometimes present on the margins of the second and third segments. First 

 posterior cell narrowed or closed. External genital ia of male prominent. 



The Sarcophagidae, or ' Flesh flies ' as they are commonly called, may 

 be seen about decaying animal and vegetable matter ; in India they fre- 

 quent latrines and night soil trenches. Although the family contains 

 only a few genera, the species are numerous and very difficult to distin- 

 guish. Their larvae feed on animal and vegetable matter, or live as para- 

 sites in sores, causing dermal myiasis, and in the nasal cavities of man 

 and animals. In Gujarat it is not uncommon to see large sores on the 

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