62 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March 



SOME NORTH AMERICAN GENERA OF THE DIPTEROUS 

 GROUP, CALLIPHORINAE GIRSCHNER. 



BY GARRY DE N. HOUGH, M. D. 



The masterly researches of Herr Ernst Girschuer have 

 thrown a flood of light upon the Cimmerian darkness of the 

 classification of the Muscida?. One of the groups clearly es- 

 tablished by him is that of the Calliphorime, the ISTorth 

 American genera of which form the subject of this paper. 



The super- family Muscidse is thus defined by Prof. Willis- 

 ton : 



Proboscis functional or rudimentary. In the former case usually 

 short and with pseudotracheate labellse, but sometimes elongate 

 and adapted for piercing ; palpi sometimes rudimentary, never 

 jointed. Antenna? always three-jointed, the third joint simple, 

 pound, oval or elongate, compressed and always (except in Crypto- 

 chaetnm, where it is entirely absent), with a bare, pubescent or 

 plumose, dorsal or subapical arista. Auxiliary vein sometimes ru- 

 dimentary, often more or less coalescent with the first longitudinal 

 vein, usually distinct in its entire course; never more than one 

 submarginal and three posterior cells present; the submarginal 

 and marginal cells always open; basal cells never large, the second 

 basal sometimes coalesceut with the discal cell, the anal cell present 

 or absent; posterior cross vein rarely absent. Pulvilli always pres- 

 ent ; empodia wanting ; claws of the male often larger than those 

 of the female. 



For over sixty years dipterologists have divided the Mus- 

 Hdie into two great series : Calyptratre and Acalyptrata-. 

 In general there is no difficulty in determining to which series 

 a given form belongs, but to this rule there are exceptions. 

 Girschner's definitions seem better than any others known to 

 me. They are as follows : 



Acalyptratae Squamula alaris always distinctly developed, hut 

 never very large; squamula thoracalis usually lacking, at most 

 present as an insignificant widening of the f re num squamulare. 

 Posthumeral and intraalar rnacrochaetse not simultaneously pres- 

 ent. Thorax usually without a complete transverse suture. Pos- 

 talar callus absent. Hypopleural macrochaet* absent. 



Calyptratae. Squamula alaris always distinctly developed: squam- 

 ula thoracalis very variable in size, in the higher forms larger than 

 the squamula alaris, often very much larger. Both posthumera 

 and intraalar macrochaBtae present. Thorax with a complete transl- 

 verse suture. Postalar callus present and separated by a distinct 

 suture from the dorsurn of the thorax. Hypopleural macroclwt:r 

 present or absent. 



Even these definitions, as Girschner has pointed out. are 



