Cnephalia and its Allies. 



BY W. A. SNOW. 



" Diese Gattung bedarf einer Revision. P'iir Cnephalia hat der 

 Name Spallanzania Rond. einzutreten " * — A not inappropriate text 

 for some observations on the characters assigned to these genera by 

 Messrs. Brauer and Bergenstamm. 



Let us lirst review the history of Cnephalia and Spallanzania. 



In 1830 Robineau-Desvoidy divided the old genus Gonia into 

 several genera founded on slight differences of the antennal joints. f 

 One of these, Spallanzania, he separated from two others as follows: 

 " Characters of Rhcdia and Rcai/mi/ria: antennae placed in a little 

 deeper depression, second joint longer than in Rhedia and shorter 

 than \n Reainniiria; second joint of arista straight. Facial ridges not 

 ciliate; color black." He described two species, //tr<? and gallica, 

 of which the first is unknown and the second is a synonym of Gonia 

 hebes (Fall.) Meig., Schin., Zett., Kowarz, et al. 



The genus Cnephalia was erected by Rondani with hebes as the 

 type species. J He redefined Spallanzania and described several 

 species having the third antennal joint twice as long as the second, 

 while in Cnephalia the third joint was scarcely as long as the second; 

 and having the second aristal joint elongate, while in his Cnephalia 

 species it was very short. 



Schiner, who examined typical examples of Cnephalia received 

 from Rondani, retained the genus, but recognized in hebes not the 

 hebes of Fallen, but Taehina bueephala Meigen. He therefore re- 

 garded Cnephalia bueephala as the type of the genus. He speaks thus 

 positively: " Sonderbarer Weise ist seine typische Art: C. hebes 

 Meigen von Rondani verkannt worden, und in der That nichts An- 

 deres als Taehina bueephala Meigen " § "The true hebes Fallen, 

 Meigen," he restored to Gonia. The part of Rondani's Prodrome 

 which contained the recharacterization of Spallanzania Rob.-Desv. 

 was published about the same time as volume I of Schiner's Fauna 

 Austriaca, and it is probable that the latter author had not seen it, 

 since he mentions the genus only in the sense of Robineau-Desvoidy. 



* Brauer una Bfrgenstamm, Muscaria Schizometopa, Pars. II, p. 353. 

 tMvoduires. p. 79->«. 

 tUict. Ital. Procir.. ill, 3. 

 § Fauna Austr. I, p. 445. 



(177) KAN. UNIV. QUAU., VOL. Ill, NO. 3, JAN., 1895. 



