1865.] 231 



with such an important difference in the neuration of the male and of 

 the female has no existence at all, and that Westwood has united in 

 one genus the male sex of Elephantomyia and the female of Toxorhina. 

 having probably been induced by the enormously prolonged proboscis 

 of both genera, to form a premature conclusion as to their generic- 

 identity. 



Even a priori the existence of a genus the male sex of which differs 

 so much from the female in its neuration, seems very improbable. But 

 if we scrutinize with some attention Westwood's description of Limno- 

 biorhynchus, we will discover in this very description strong proofs con- 

 firmatory of my supposition, that this genus was based upon male speci- 

 mens of one genus and female ones of another. In order to enable the 

 reader to judge for himself, I have reproduced below Westwood's de- 

 scription of Zrimnobiorhynckus, which maybe inaccessible to many.* It 

 will be seen that all the characters which the author attributes to the 

 male sex (14-jointed antennae, presence of a submarginal cell and of a 

 stigmatical spot), may be rather referred to Elephantomyia, All the 

 characters which he ascribes to the female (12-jointed, very short an- 

 tennas, with a pencil of hairs at the tip only, no submarginal cell, no 



s " ( Extract from the Annates de la Soc. Entomologique de France, 1835, p. 683.) 



Limnobiorhynchus Westw. fain. THpulidae Limnobise affinis. Corpus elongatum, 

 gracile; caput, parvum, oculis magnis ; proboscide gracili, cylindrical, porrecta, 

 fere longitudine corporis; palpis haud conspicuis : antennse breves, graciles, ad 

 basin proboscidis insertse, thorace inulto breviores ; % 14-articulate, articulis 2 

 basalibus majoribus, reliquis fequalibus oblongo-ovatis ; J 12 vel 13 articulate 

 brevissimse, articulis 2vel 3 basalibus incrassatis, reliquis 10, sensim ad apicem 

 attenuatis; articulis 2 terminalibus setis 6 longissimis penicillum efformanti- 

 bus, instructis. Prothorax in collum gracilem productus. Alse iridescentes, 

 haud pilosse, nervis in alis masculinis fere ut in Limnobid xanthopterd Meigenii 

 (Schilling, Beitr. Dipt. Tab. 2, fig. 1) dispositis : in foeminis cellulis marginali- 

 bus cum submarginali omnino coalitis (nervo longitudinal! illas in £ divi- 

 dente omnino obliterato) : in £ etiam nubila stigmaticalis extat, locum nervi 

 transversi rudimentalis indicante. 



Obs. Ex omnibus Tipulideis, adhuc cognitis, differt proboscide longissima. 

 inde affinitatem cum Culicideis possidere videtur. 



Sp. 1. Limn. BraziliensisWestw. Pallide luteo-fuscescens, thorace fusco trivit- 

 tato, postscutello einerascente ; oculis, antennis et proboscide nigris; segmentis 

 abdominalibus ad apicem in £> fuscis ; pedibus fuscis ; tibiarum apice nigro: 

 alis iridescentibus, nervis costalibus fulvescentibus. Long. corp. (proboscide 

 excepta) 'J, lin. 3, J lin. oi. Exp. alar. lin. 6i, 7. 



Habitat, apud Bahiam, Brazilian : in mus. nostro. 



Sp. 2. Limn, canadensis. Pracedenti valde similis. differt thorace, proboscide. 

 tibiarum apice halteribusque concoloribus, femorum apice infuscato, nervis 

 costalibus fuscescentibus. Long. corp. % lin. (?) j. Exp. alar. lin. 7. 



Hab in Canada: in mus. nostro. 



