IMPERIAL BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. 



BULLETIN 



OF 



ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH. 



Vol. XII. 1921. 



A REVISION OF THE GENUS LEPTOCONOPS, SKUSE. 



By Henry F. Carter, 



School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool. 



Introduction. 



The genus Leptoconops was erected in 1890 by the Austrahan dipterist Skuse for a 

 minute black Chironomid fly which he captured at Woronora, near Sydney, New 

 South Wales. This genus he placed in the last of the three sections into which he 

 divided the family Chironomidae, namely, the Ceratopogonina. The fly greatly 

 resembled a small species of Simulium in general facies, and presented certain 

 peculiar characters which rendered it strikingly distinct from other members of the 

 section. Indeed, certain authors (Mik 1894, Johannsen 1905) have since drawn 

 attention to the marked similarity in the wing venation of an American species 

 (L. torrens, Twns.) and Corynoneiira, a genus of the subfamily Chironominae. Later 

 (1907) Noe suggested the formation of an additional subfamily — Leptoconopinae — for 

 the Australian and alhed species (at that time classified in three genera), and Malloch 

 (1915), although acknowledging that the genus Tersestkes, Twns. (a synonym of 

 Leptoconops). was unknown to him, associated it with the Chironominae rather than 

 with the Ceratopogoninae. Apart from the wing venation, however, Leptoconops 

 shows no affinities with Corynoneura, but rather agrees with the Ceratopogonine 

 rnidges, particularly in regard to the structure of the thorax and mouth-parts. 

 Several species of Leptoconops have now been described, but owing to differences in 

 the interpretation of, or slight variations in, some of the generic characters given by 

 Skuse, as well as to subsequent descriptive errors, they have, in greater part, been 

 referred to the genera Tersesthes, Twns. , and Mycierotypus. Noe. As was to be expected, 

 however, the close agreement exhibited in the diagnoses of these genera and of 

 Leptoconops has caused several authors to suggest their identity ; but indefinite 

 or partial conclusions* only were reached, since the genotype of Leptoconops {L. 

 stygius, Sk.) was not re-examined. 



Through the courtesy of several gentlemen (individual acknowledgments are 

 made in the text of the systematic portion of this paper) I have been privileged 



* Castellani and Chalmers (1913 and 1919) give Tersesthes and Mycterotypus as synonvms of 

 Leptoconops, stating that in so doing they follow Kieffer. The latter author, however, did not 

 definitely reject these names, and in his recent works still refers to them. 



(2416) Wt. P8/I70 1,000 5/21 Harrow G 75. A 



