106 MUSCID^E. 



SUBFAMILY 5. MUSCIDES. 



Musciae, Mcq. ; Westw. Muscarice, Zett. Muscida p., Bigot. Sfo- 

 moxydea p., Westw. 



Corpus breve, latum, crassum. Caput non vesiculosum. Arista plumosa. 



Thorax brevis. Alula magna. Pedes longitudine mediocres. 



Body short, broad, thick. Head not vesiculose. Arista plumose. 

 Thorax short. Alula large. Legs of moderate length. 



The Muscides feed, in the larva state, on decaying matter; 

 many of them are viviparous, and several species are excessively 

 abundant. 



a. Proboscis thick, soft, obtuse, retractile. 1. Muse A. 

 a a. Proboscis slender, porrect, smooth, shining, acuminated. 2. STO- 



MOXYS. 



Genus I. MUSCA. 



Musca, Meig., et Mesembrina, Meig. Zw. iv. Musca, etc., Desv. ; Mcq. ; 

 Westw. ; Meig. Zw. vii. ; Zett. Sarcophaga p., Zett. 



Corpus pubescens, setosum, latum, robustum. Color varius. Frontalia 



lata. Antennas decumbentes ; articulus tertius linearis, apice rotun- 



datus, secundo duplo triple aut quadruple longiore ; sextus plumosus. 



Abdomen subovatum, thorace paullo latius non longius. 



Frontalia broad, thickly striated, with a row of bristles on each side ; 



foveae of the face very shallow ; facialia bristly along more than half 



the length; facialia of the peristoma bristly; lateralia large. Third 



joint of the antennas linear, rounde<J at the tip, from twice to four times 



the length of the second ; sixth stout at the base, plumose nearly to 



the tip. Costal vein ending at a little in front of the tip of the wing. 



Abdomen subovate, a little broader but not longer than the thorax. 



a. Prsebrachial vein forming a right or hardly acute angle. Calliphora, 



Desv., etc. Species 1, 2. 

 a a. Prasbrachial vein forming a slightly obtuse angle. 



b. Colour bright metallic. Lucilia, Desv., etc. Species 3-5. 

 b b. Colour blackish-blue. Lucilia, Mcq. Species 6. 

 b b b. Thorax black. Abdomen green or blue. Melinda, Desv. 

 Calliphora p., Mcq. Dasyphora, Desv. Sarcophaga p., Zett. 

 Species 7, 8. 

 b b b b. Colour not metallic. 



c. Abdomen not pale on each side. 



d. Abdomen not tessellated. Nitellia, Desv. Species 9. 

 d d. Abdomen tessellated. 



e. Abdomen not pale beneath. Polknia, Desv. Species 10. 

 e e. Abdomen pale beneath. Musca, Meig., etc. Species 11. 



