. British journal of entomology and natural history. Natural history; Entomology. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 1: 1988 191. Extracts from the Society's Journals 75 years ago At the meeting of 24 April 1913, Edward Step exhibited a specimen of the fly Ogcodes gibbosus and read the following note:- This little hump-backed spider-fly was taken in my garden at Ashtead last summer; and I am indebted to Mr Andrews for its identification, and for references to records of its previous capture. It is a representative of the family Acroceridae, whose members are characterized by a weakness for destroying spi
. British journal of entomology and natural history. Natural history; Entomology. BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 1: 1988 191. Extracts from the Society's Journals 75 years ago At the meeting of 24 April 1913, Edward Step exhibited a specimen of the fly Ogcodes gibbosus and read the following note:- This little hump-backed spider-fly was taken in my garden at Ashtead last summer; and I am indebted to Mr Andrews for its identification, and for references to records of its previous capture. It is a representative of the family Acroceridae, whose members are characterized by a weakness for destroying spiers by feeding upon them internally as larvae. Ogcodes gibbosus is an exceedingly local species, and apprently rare in its few locaUties. Curtis (quoted by Verrall) records it from Wimbledon Common and the adjoining Coombe Wood; and a specimen in the Oxford Museum is labelled "Richmond Park, July 4th, ; Its principal locality to-day appears to be the New Forest; but it has been recorded also from two localities in Herefordshire, and one in Suffolk; to which must now be added Ashtead, Surrey. The head of the fly is remarkably small, and consists almost entirely of the two compound eyes. The great disproportion between the tiny head and the high rounded body, gives one the impression that the latter would be normally much smaller, but that it has been inflated by some diseased condition. This effect is intensified by the fact that the thorax is covered by a rather matted coating of whitish-grey hairs, which gives it the appearance of a house-fly that has been killed on our windows in autumn by the activity of the fly fungus. It is just possible that it may not be as rare as supposed, but that specimens may be passed with a cursory glance in the belief that they are merely diseased house-flies. Having regard to the fact that the food of the larva is plentiful, and that feeding under cover it runs few risks, one would expect the fly to be quite common. But it has an
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