1901.] 41 



it among the species unknown to him. In the KLissification (iSO-t), 

 pp. 38 — 39, Meigen explicitly avows his limited knowledge of the 

 genus, and says about the diagnosis : " Whether all the species partake 

 of these characters 1 cannot tell ; the number of the antennal joints 

 seems to be variable. In general this genus requires more study yet." 

 Under such circumstances MM. Karsch and Riibsaamen had no reason 

 to assume, as they did, that Meigen, in adopting his original definition 

 of Gecidomyia, intended to make it permanent, and thus unwittingly 

 forestalled the concept of Diplosits, Loew ! Meigen would certainly 

 have protested against such an assumption, and would have referred 

 to his principal work, in which he again acknowledges his uncertainty 

 about the number of the joints of the antennae. In his Syst. Beschr., 

 i, p. 93, the diagnosis says : " Antenna) porrect, mam/ -jointed, joints 

 separated ;" the detailed characterization which follows adds : " The 

 number of joints is difficult to determine, because they are very easily 

 damaged in captivity. I have generally found 24 in the male and only 

 12 in the female ; Cec. ribesii (^ has 12-joiuted antenna)." 



In presence of such positive statements about the uncertainty of 

 Meigen in the matter of the number of the joints of the antennae, the 

 expression of Mr. Kiibsaamen, that Meigen had become unfaithful to 

 himself {''' wei\ Meigen sich selbst spater untreu wurde ") is not well 

 chosen ! (Comp. Berl. E. Z., 1892, p. 325, line 14 from top). 



The first mention of Gecidomyia in Latreille's publications occurs 

 in the Dictioun., &c., of Deterville, 1st ed., vol. xxiv, 1804, p. 107, and 

 in the Hist. Nat. des Crust, et des Ins., vol. xiv, 1805, p. 292. The defini- 

 tion is the same in both publications : " Anteunes filiformes a articles 

 presque egaux, globuleux, velus ; trompe saillante ; ailes couchees 

 horizoutalement sur le corps. Tijo. pini, Deg." The new genus Oli- 

 gotrophus is introduced at the same time ; its definition is as follows : 

 " Trompe point saillante, antennes moniliformes, tete transversale ; je 

 rapporte a ce genre la Tipule des galles du Genevrier de De Geer, vi, 

 tab. 25, f. 7, 8." That the definitions of both genera were based merely 

 upon De Geer's figures is evident. Winnertz's (Stett. Ent. Z., 1854, 

 p. 324) supposition, that Latreille knew De Geer's jiiniperina in nature 

 seems to me very improbable. 



In Latreille's first matured work on Diptera, the Genera, &c., 

 vol. iv, p. 252 (1809), he gave up his Oligotrophns and introduced the 

 genus Gecidomyia, as follows : — 



Gen. (533. — Gecidomyia, Latr., lllig. — Tipula, De Geer. — Oligo- 

 trophus, Latr. — Ghirononius, Fabricii. 



The Cec/(/o«2yiV?, Latr., lllig., means here of course, Latreille, Meigen 



