THE CRANE-FiIES oF New York — Part II 929 
Larva.— Form moderately elongated, body terete. Spiracular disk surrounded by five 
subequal lobes which are marked with V-shaped brown lines, in some specimens the inner 
faces of the three most dorsal lobes being entirely brownish black. Anal gills moderately 
elongate. Head capsule as in the Eriopterini. Antenna with the apical papilla very short, 
subpyriform. 
Pupa.— Cephalic crest setiferous. Pronotal breathing horns elongate-cylindrical, directed 
ventrad and cephalad, with rows of breathing pores along dorsal face. Mesonotum 
declivitous, at broad crest armed with numerous chitinized spines; an arcuated longitudinal 
row of six small pits extending from wing axil toward crest of thorax. Wing sheaths ending 
before tip of second abdominal segment. Leg sheaths ending about opposite tip of third 
abdominal segment; tarsi of hind legs the longest, those of middle legs the shortest, fore 
legs intermediate in length. Abdominal segments with a strong subterminal armature on 
ventral segments, much weaker to lacking on dorsal segments; lateral spiracles distinct on 
segments 2 to 7; dorsum of segment 8 with five blunt lobes. 
Helobia is a small genus (five species) of common and sometimes very 
widely distributed crane-flies. The only North American species, Helobia 
hybrida, is apparently the most widespread tipulid known, ranging over 
practically the entire Holarctic region, southward in the mountains to 
India, and, in the New World, to Central America. The immature 
stages of the known species are spent in moist earth near water. Bruch 
(in litt.) mentions the rearing of H. macroptera (Phil.) in Argentina. 
Helobia hybrida (Meig.) 
1804 Limonia hybrida Meig. Klass., vol. 1, p. 57. 
1818 Limnobia punctipennis Meig. Syst. Beschr. Zweifl. Ins., vol. 1, p. 147. 
1830 Symplecta punctipennis Meig. Syst. Beschr. Zweifl. Ins., vol. 6, p. 283. 
1848 Limnobia cana Walk. List Dipt. Brit. Mus., vol. 1, p. 48. 
Helobia hybrida is undoubtedly the most widely distributed North 
American crane-fly. Beling (1879:50-51) found larvae and pupae at 
the end of July, 1876, in wet, sandy earth along the margins of small 
brooks in deciduous woods. Adults emerged in his breeding cages on 
July 27 and August 6. Hart (1898 [1895]:199-200) found the larvae in 
similar sandy situations along the Illinois River, associated with the 
larvae of Tabanus atratus Fabr. He suggests that it may serve as food 
for this horse-fly larva. Larvae of Helobia were especially abundant on 
May 17, and these transformed to adults within a month. Females 
were observed ovipositing along the shore, patting the valves of the 
ovipositor against the moist sand. Malloch (1915-17b:229-230) has 
given additional notes on the structural details of Hart’s material. 
