II. CRITICAL REVIEW OF "GENERA" IN 



CULICID AE. 



By E. Brunetti. 



Prefatory Remarks. 



The present paper is written primarily for the systematic 

 dipterologist and is an endeavour to reduce the multitudin- 

 ous genera proposed by culicidologists to their taxonomic level from 

 the point of view of the systematist. 



The standard of validity adopted in the present paper is 

 precisely that which would, so far as I can judge, be accorded by 

 the average systematist in reviewing proposed genera in any 

 family of diptera other than Culicidae. 



A word first to the new names proposed by me in the 

 Supplement to my Annotated Catalogue of Oriental Culicidae} 

 These were stated at the time to be purely nomina nova, the 

 names they were intended to displace being preoccupied (the bulk 

 of them, it may incidentally be mentioned, in the order diptera 

 itself, which shows conclusively how little the culicidologists 

 concern themselves with what has been already done in diptera) ; 

 but I now regret having encumbered the literature of the family 

 to any further extent. 



It must be borne in mind that all the considerations and 

 conclusions herein offered rest on the validity of other authors' 

 statements and descriptions, since on the great majority of points at 

 issue there has been no opportunity of independent examination. 



For any false deductions of mine in the present treatise, due 

 to incorrect or incomplete descriptions, I claim exoneration on 

 these grounds, but for any due to misconceptions or erroneous 

 judgments of my own I freely accept full responsibility. 



GeneraIv Considerations on Taxonomy in Diptera. 



There is no intention in the present paper of drawing an 

 exhaustive comparison between the characters adopted of late 

 years in distinguishing so-called genera in Culicidae, and those that 

 have hitherto been employed in the diptera for the same purpose ; 

 but all who have any practical acquaintance with this order are 

 aware that, until the influx of students to the study of Culicidae 

 caused by the comparatively recent discovery of their direct 

 connection with malaria,* the known species of this family were 



^ Rec. Ind. Miis. , iv, 403 et seq. 



■^ The first announcement that yellow fever was carried by mosquitoes, and 

 probably malaria also, was made as far back as 1848 by Nott. Nothing more 



