MISCELLANEA. 



Synonymy in Corethrinae. — Many recent authors have 

 followed Theobald (Gen. Ins., Fasc. 26) (1905) in referring to 

 Sayoiiiyia, Coq., most of the species till recently incorporated 

 under Corethra, Mg., but the American author's genus must give 

 way, on his own admission,' to Chaoborus, Lichtenstein, estab- 

 lished as long ago as 1800 ; so that a few synonymical notes may 

 be useful. 



Corethra, Mg. (1803), was originally erected (Illig. Mag., ii, 

 260) for the Tipula culiciformis of De Geer (1776) ; and for many 

 years it contained only that species, with pallida, F. (1781), and 

 piumicornis, F. (1794). It was not until 1823 that another species 

 was added, — pimctipennis , Say., followed by flavicans, Mg. , in 1830 

 and others of more recent date. 



Mochlonyx, lyoew (1844), was formed for Corethra velutina, 

 Ruthe, and to this genus has been added effoetus, Wlk., and 

 actually culiciformis, De Geer (!),the very type species of Corethra) 

 even Prof. Kertesz, in his catalogue of the world's diptera (vol. i, 

 1902), making the same error. 



Theobald (Gen. Ins.) admitted Corethrinae as a subfamily of 

 Culicidae and correctly replaced culiciformis in Corethra, with 

 velutina {effoelus, Wlk., being added as synonymous with this) * 

 and a third, recently described species, cinctipes, Coq. Therefore, 

 unless velutina can be generically separated from culiciformis (and 

 I have no means of forming an opinion on this) , Mochlonyx must 

 sink in favour of Corethra, Mg. 



Schiner (Fauna Austr., ii, 624) placed velutina and effoetus (the 

 latter not described, not being Austrian) hi Mochlonyx ; and placed 

 culiciformis (also undescribed for the same reason), with the names 

 of five other undescribed non-Austrian species, after his description 

 of the three Austrian species {pallida, piumicornis and fusca) of 

 Corethra. It is quite possible that he may not have seen all these 

 species, and therefore his generic separation of velutina and culici- 

 formis may not have represented an individual opinion. 



Chaoborus, Lichtenstein, was erected for " antisepticus sp. 

 nov., " which proved synonymous with crystallina, De Geer, this 

 latter, queried by Theobald (Gen. Ins.) as synonymous with piumi- 

 cornis, F., being definitely given Ijy Kertesz as identical with it. 



1 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. ^7, p. 603 (1910). 



2 As Mr. Theobald has presumably examined the type of Walker's species, 

 some importance attaches to this opinion. 



