28(j REVISION- OF GENERA BELONGING TO DIPTERA BBACHYCERA OF AUSTRALIA, 



Genus S p a n i o p s i s White. 



Types. — In 1915, under this genus, Dr. E. W. Ferguson described four 

 species of flies, the holotypes of which were stated to be in the Microbiological 

 Laboratory of the Department of Public Health. While Dr. Ferguson was 

 absent on war-work in Europe, these specimens were attacked by Anthrenus and 

 now only two holotypes are left, both of which have since been placed in the 

 Australian Museum, where they will have the advantage of being continuously 

 under the charge of an entomologist. 



In 1919, in a paper "The Australian Rhyphidae and Leptidae" I based the 

 identity of species, described by Dr. Ferguson as belonging to this genus, upon 

 the paratype material in the Australian Museum as the types, then in the Health 

 Department, were not available. 



The following list of specimens in the Australian Museum contains all those 

 deposited there that were used in various papers dealing with this genus. 



<S. tabaniformis White; holotype and one paratype. 



S. vexans Ferguson; (holotype lost) ; two paratypes and one other specimen. 

 (Possibly this is not specifically distinct but represents a smaller form 

 of the previous species). 



S. clelandi Ferguson ; holotype, two paratypes and one other specimen. 



S. marginipennis Ferguson ; holotype, one paratype and four other specimens. 



S. longicornis Ferguson; (holotype lost); one paratype and two other 

 specimens. 



Distribution. — This genus has evidently a wide distribution over Australia, 

 as there are specimens from Western Australia in the Macleay Museum. Also 

 Dr. Ferguson has recently received specimens from that State. The various 

 species appear to be met with most frequently in June, and I have taken as 

 many as tl'ree of them during one day in a small part of a valley at Heathcote, 

 New South Wales, where they were swarming, not only in the valley, but also 

 on the summit and slopes of the hills on each side. 



On the same occasion I swept bushes in the endeavour to secure males but 

 failed to find any specimens showing charactere of a secondary se.xual nature. 



There are some males however from Western Australia in the Macleay 

 Museum, and they have contiguous eyes. 



Family ASILIDAE. 



Notes. — Miss Ricardo's revision (1912-13) of the Australian AsiUdae does 

 not contain a revision of tiie genera into which the species were placed, and the 

 new genera she proposed lack characters by which they can be adequately de- 

 fined. Her keys to the genera contain characters of specific value and her ar- 

 rangement of these is misleading. 



Two of the four subfamilies of the AsiUdae are revised here and the majority 

 of the genera within them are defined. The definitions are based upon Austra- 

 lian material and, wherever possible, on the typical species. 



Subfamily DASYPOGONINAE. 



jfotes. — The number of genera indigenous to Australia belonging to this 

 subfamily exceeds those in the other three subfamilies of the AsiUdae together. 

 They have been so poorly studied that scarcely any definitions are to be found 

 in the literature and, as most of the genera appear to be restricted to Australia 



