. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. 462 DIPTERA that does not agree with the larvae of the allied families having well-marked heads (and therefore called Eucephala), nor with the acephalous maggots of Eumyiidae. Fam. 2. Mycetophilidae.—These small flies are much less delicate creatures than the Cecidomyiidae, and have more nervures in the ivings ; they possess ocelli, and freqiiently have the coxae elongated, and in some cases the legs adorned with complex arrange- ments of spines : their antennae have not whorls of hair. Although very much neglected there are probably between 700 and 10

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. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. 462 DIPTERA that does not agree with the larvae of the allied families having well-marked heads (and therefore called Eucephala), nor with the acephalous maggots of Eumyiidae. Fam. 2. Mycetophilidae.—These small flies are much less delicate creatures than the Cecidomyiidae, and have more nervures in the ivings ; they possess ocelli, and freqiiently have the coxae elongated, and in some cases the legs adorned with complex arrange- ments of spines : their antennae have not whorls of hair. Although very much neglected there are probably between 700 and 1000 species known; owing to many of their larvae living in fungoid matter the flies are called Fungus-gnats. We have more than 100 species in Britain. JEjndapus is remarkable, inasmuch as the female is entirely destitute of wings and halteres, while the male has the halteres developed but the wings of very reduced size. M scabiei is an excessively minute fly, smaller than a common ilea, and its larva is said to be very imjurious to stored potatoes. The larvae of Mycetophilidae are usually very elongate, worm - like maggots, but have a distinct, ^iG. 221.—Mycetobiapallipes. Britain. small head; they are peri- A, Larva; B, pupa; C, imago. (After Dufour.) , . , . t ^ pneustic, having, accordmg to Osten Sacken, nine pairs of spiracles, one pair prothoracic, the others on the first eight abdominal segments. They'are usually worm- like, and sometimes seem to consist of twenty segments. Some of them have the faculty of constructing a true cocoon by some sort of spinning process, and a few make earthen cases for the purpose of pupation., The pupae themselves are free, the larval skin having been shed. The Mycetophilidae are by no means completely fungivorous, for many live in decaying vegetable, some even in animal, matter. The habits of many of the larvae are very peculiar, owing to their spinning or exuding a mucus, that reminds one of snail- slime ; they are frequently gregarious