A Monograph of Egyflïan Diptera. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The fir.st volume of a Moii(>-ia[>li of tlie Kyypti;ui Diptera is 

 hardly the plaee for a tliseussiou of a eoinplctc ela.ssilieatioii of 

 the Order, which at présent would iieeessarlly be nothing more tliau 

 a résume of the opinions of prcvious writers, wliereas wlien thc> 

 Egyptian Diptera hâve becn more cxteusively studicMl it is hopod 

 that more light will bc thrown on this subjeet, which, so far is in 

 a very unsatisfaetory condition. Inirther it is my opinion that no 

 final phylogenetic ciassilication can be arrived at in this, or any 

 other order, until a thorough survey has been inade of the fauna 

 of Australasia, such as has been donc by Meyriek in Lepidoptera, 

 and is now being accomplished by Tonnoir, who is working on the 

 New Zealand Psychodidae, which are undoubtcnlly one of the niost 

 primitive familles of Diptera. 



In my descriptions I hâve, as a rulc, adopted the system 

 followed by Verraîl; in addition, many of the characters given by 

 Bezzi bave aiso been uscd. The only exception is in the system of 

 Wing Venation, which is that of Comstock*, as I consider this to 

 be the most readily intelligible and the least artificial, being applic- 

 able to ail orders of insects. The table of the Sub-Families and 

 Gênera bave been adopted from those given by Verrall (British 

 Tlies, Vol. VIII. lOOl)" and Bezzi (Syrphidae of the Ethiopian 

 Région, 1915). I hâve included in thèse tables the sub-families and 

 gênera wdiich so far liave been recoi'ded from North Africa, as it is 

 very likely that some of them may eventually be found in Egypt, 

 and also to assist in dcmonstrating the characters of those already 

 recorded fnini this countrv. 



H. C. E. 



*].\\. Com>tork: The Wings cf Tn.ccl^, Ith;ir;i, Xe-w Voik, 1918. 



