ANTHOMYIDJS. 133 



52. ANTHOMYID.E. 



Small to moderately large flies, often resembling the com- 

 mon house-fly, usually non-metallic in color. Antennal arista 

 plumose, pubescent or bare ; eyes hairy or bare ; males often 

 holoptic, sometimes broadly dichoptic, the females always 

 dichoptic; abdomen composed of four or five segments; the 

 male genitalia often with subanal appendages ; first posterior 

 cell of wings broadly open ; body often without bristles ; teg- 

 ulae usually of considerable size. 



The above definition will, in most cases, distinguish the 

 members of this large family of inconspicuously colored flies. 

 Its limits, however, are not sharp ; with the true muscids it 

 is connected by Morellia and allied forms, with the Scato- 

 phagidse by Fucellia, etc. When one has become tolerably 

 well acquainted with the allied families, he will seldom be 

 much in doubt as to the proper location of his specimens here. 

 The contiguity of the male eyes, together with the open first 

 posterior cell, is always decisive. Not a few of the species 

 are common about houses, out-buildings, etc., and some of 

 them are among the worst enemies to garden vegetables that 

 the agriculturist has to contend against. 



In the larval stage, the great majority of the species are 

 vegetable feeders, either in living or decaying material. The 

 larvae of species of Spilogaster, Hydrotcea, Hylemyia and 

 Ccenosia have been found in dung or manure ; those of Hydro- 

 tcea, Oyhyra, Anthomyia, Homalomyia, etc., in decaying veg- 

 etable material ; those of Hylemyia, Anthomyia, Homalomyia, 

 etc., in the nests of various hymenoptera; those of Mydcea 

 from SpermaphUa and Mimus. Larvae of various species 

 or Phorbia are very destructive to growing radishes, onions, 

 cabbage, etc., feeding upon the roots. The larvae are either 

 slender and cylindrical, or flat and oval, with four rows 

 of thread-like processes on the segments. Both types are 

 amphipneustic, and are always provided with two chitinous 



10 



