ORTHORHAPHA BRACHYCERA. 
589 
■/“l . 
The one whose stages are figured on PL LXI is common in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of Simla at the end of the rains. No really practical method 
of exterminating the flies is known, though the use of heavy oil in the 
streams has apparently been tried with some success in America. 
Orphnephilid^:. 
Small bare flies with eyes contiguous in both sexes (not as is usual in the 
male only), and an unusual type of venation. Antennce not longer 
than the head. 
These small flies are rare, but widely distributed. Nothing is known 
of their habits and life-history. They are of no economic importance, 
though of interest to the systematist from the difficulty of determining 
their relationships. None are known to occur in India.. 
Rhyphtdze. 
Discal cell present. Empodia pulvilliform, pulvilli rudimentary or absent. 
No transverse suture on thorax. 
These flies look rather like small Tipulids with broad wings, the 
latter generally spotted. They are widely distributed, but the species 
are few. They are fond of shady places and are sometimes found on win¬ 
dows. The larvae are mostly aquatic, wormlike, amphipneustic, with 
two fleshy projections on the hind end. They are also found in rotten 
fruit, manure and decayed wood. The pupae are free. Two species are 
recorded from India. Rhyphus fenestralis, Scop., which occurs in the 
hills, and R. pulchricornis , Bru., from Assam. I have not yet been seen 
them in the dry plains. The venation is shown on PI. LIX. 
ORTHORHAPHA BRACHYCERA 
Stratiomyid^. 
Medium-sized flies, not bristly . Head usually as broad as thorax, 
abdomen often flattened. Ocelli present. Eyes frequently touching in the 
male, often with coloured bands as in Tabanidoe. Antennce variable, 
3-jointed, the 3rd joint a complex of small segments and often with 
a terminal style or arista. Scutellum often spined or with serrated edge. 
Anterior veins often crowded and thickened, the others weak. Four 
or five posterior cells present. Costa rarely reaches to tip of wing. 
This is a large family of often very beautiful insects, but unimpor¬ 
tant from the economic point of view. In their adult condition they 
