96 NORTH AMERICAN DIPTERA. 



M U 8 CI D JE 



(In the widest sense). 



This very large group, commonly known as the Muscidae 

 sens. lat. has been divided into numerous minor groups, which 

 by many dipterologists have been accredited with family rank. 

 The number and limits of these groups are the subjects of 

 more or less difference of opinion among systematists. The 

 constant tendency, not only in dipterology, but in all ento- 

 mology, is to raise the rank of minor divisions with the in- 

 crease of new forms, and most writers on di})tera nowadays 

 give the family termination of ida', to most of the groups 

 of this family or superfamily. This tendency has, however, 

 been carried to an extreme by some recent writers. Whether 

 or not they be considered as families or subfamilies, matters 

 little so long as it is remembered that the distinctive charac- 

 ters have, in general, less morphological significance than 

 among the groups of the Orthorrhapha. 



Brauer divides the i^roup. which he calls Schizophora, after 

 IJecher, into the J^ttrrrrtthv and Schizometopa, which correspond 

 pretty well to the old and well established Calyptrataj and 

 Acalyptratai. terms which shoiild not, in my opinion be dis- 

 ])laced at the option of any systematist who^choost^s to offer 

 new terms. Nor can I accept the name -tscirrespfeeab, the well 

 established name of Muscidjt?, or Muscidea, if one wishes a 

 distinctive ending, is quite as good and more approjjriate. 

 That the change of limitations in a higlier group gives the 

 changer the right to change the names also, has no more force- 

 ful a])plication here than among the lower groups. Ko one is 

 sustained in rejecting generic names because he modifies the 

 definition of the genus, as must necessarily be the case with 

 nearly every added new species. 



The following characters will :i])])ly to the family or su]ier- 

 familv in its ciitiretv : 



