50 ASILIDvE. 



food is chiefly small Diptera, which they hold between their 

 fore legs. The larva lives in the earth; it has 12 segments ; is 

 apod, rather long, somewhat flat, smaller at each end, with a 

 horny head ; it sheds its skin during the change into a pupa. 

 The head of the pupa is armed with two robust spines in front, 

 and on each side with 3 smaller spines, which are connected at 

 the base ; the abdominal segments are fringed with spines. 

 The British species comprise the following groups or subgenera 

 of Loew : 

 a. Ovipositor compressed. 



b. Thorax bristly to the front. Group LOPHONOTUS. Species 1. 

 b b. Thorax bristly to the middle. 



c. Terminal lamellae oval, compressed. EUTOLMUS. Species 2. 

 c c. Terminal lamellae free, almost stylate. 



d. Hind border of the eighth abdominal segment of the 



male widened. MACHIMUS. Species 3-8. 

 d d. Hind border of the eighth abdominal segment of the 

 male not widened. 

 e. Body yellowish-grey, or ash-grey. Legs striped or 



banded with reddish-yellow. EPITRIPTUS. Sp. 9. 

 e e. Body more or less blackish-grey. Legs black ; 

 tibiae generally red. 



/. Abdominal appendages of the male very thickly 

 clubbed. Ovipositor formed of the sixth and 

 seventh segments. ITAMUS. Species 10. 

 //. Appendages of the male not thickly clubbed. 



CERDISTUS. Species ? 

 a a. Ovipositor not compressed. 



b. Abdomen without bristles on the sutures. 



c. Abdomen with moderately long straggling hairs. PAMPO- 



NEBUS. Species 11. 

 c c. Abdomen pubescent, depressed. 



d. Large bright-coloured species. ASILUS. Species 12. 

 d d. Small blackish-grey species. EHADIURGUS. Sp. ? 

 b b. Abdomen with bristles on the sutures. 



c. First joint of the anterior tarsi unusually short. ECHTHIS- 



TUS. Species ? 

 c c. First joint of the anterior tarsi not shortened. 



d. Ovipositor very compactly clubbed, closely contracted 



beneath. ANTIPALUS. Species 13. 

 d d. Ovipositor conical, beset with spines at the tip. PHI- 



LONICUS. Species 14. 



1. cristatus, Hffg.; Mg. zw. ii. 322. 24 (1820). Fuscus, capite 

 cano, antennis nigris, thorace cinereo-subtrivittato lateribus cano, alis 

 limpidis, pedibus nigris. Long. 5-6 ; alar. 9-] lin. 



