220 



ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY 



I. TYPICAL DIPTERA (DIPTERA GENUINA) 



Disregarding characters of the puparium which are not readily 

 observable, the typical Diptera are divided into two series of fami- 

 lies, based upon the length of the antennae, known as the Long- 

 horned Diptera, which have 

 more than five antennal 

 segments, and the Short- 

 horned Diptera, having not 

 more than five segments. 



LONG-HORNED DIPTERA 



(NEMATOCERA] 



The crane-flies (Tipulidae) 



are easily recognized by 

 their long, slender bodies, 

 narrow wings, and exceed- 

 ingly long, fragile legs, 

 which characteristics have 

 given them the name 

 ' ' granddaddy-long-legs, ' ' a 

 name more correctly ap- 

 plied to the harvestmen, 

 which are round-bodied 

 spiders with very long legs. 

 The maggots of crane-flies, 

 sometimes called leather- 

 jackets, or meadow-mag- 

 gots, are dirty white, with 

 a tough skin, and feed 

 upon the roots of plants, 

 decaying vegetable matter, 

 and fungi. They are fre- 

 quently found in the decay- 

 ing wood and mold in the 

 crotch of an old tree or in 



a stump, while several species which feed on their roots sometimes 

 become abundant enough to do considerable damage to grasses and 

 grains. The adults are among our largest flies, the common species 



FIG. 348. Life history of a mosquito 

 (Ciilex sp.). (Much enlarged) 



On the surface of the water, a small raft of eggs; 



in the water, several long, slender larvae (wrigglers) 



and one large-headed pupa (tumbler) ; above the 



water, an adult. (From life, after Kellogg) 



