ERIOPTERA. 447 



sometimes at nearly three-fouvths its length ; the Isfc longitudinal 

 vein ending some distance beyond the tip o£ the auxiliary ; the 

 2nd vein beginning some distance before the middle of the wing, 

 at an acute angle, tlie first part of the pra^furca (that is, up to the 

 origin of the 3rd vein) much longer, often double as long, as the 

 remainder (up to the fork) ; the vein forks soon after the origin 

 of the 3rd vein, the branches more or less parallel, the marginal 

 cross-vein situated just after the fork ; the 3rd vein emerging at 

 a wide angle, the basal section of about the same length as the 

 anterior cross-vein ; the 4th longitudinal forking at or almost 

 immediately before, the anterior cross-vein ; the anterior branch 

 simple, the posterior branch forked soon after quitting the cross- 

 vein, the veinlets sometimes parallel, sometimes diverging, their 

 tips having a tendency to turn upward slightly ; posterior cross- 

 vein lying from a little before to a little after the forking of the 

 2nd vein ; the 5th and 6th veins nearly straight, the 7th running 

 for a considerable distance close to and parallel with the 6th, and, 

 after turning down to the margin, running (more or less sinuously) 

 parallel with the hind edge of the wing. This character is nob 

 invariable, as in some species it is nearly straight, in others, 

 although approximate in its basal half to the 6th, it afterwards 

 turns straight down to the wing margin without running along- 

 side of the latter. 



Range. Europe, North Africa, North and South America, "West 

 Indies, Java, India and Australia. 



In his Monograph (p. 146) Osten Sacken goes veiy fully into 

 tlie question of the synonymy of Erioptera and the closely allied 

 genera Wiy2'>holophits, Kol., MolopJiiliis, Curt., Acyphona, Os. Sac, 

 and Mesocypliona, Os. Sac. He seems to have had grave doubts 

 about admitting to generic rank any of these subsidiary genera 

 except Molopldlus. ^Referring to the genus Erioptera, which he 

 divided into the following subgenera, Erioptera, Acifpliona, Hoplo- 

 lahis, Mesoci/phona and Molophilus, he says : " If I have retained 

 them in the position of groups or subgenera it is because, in my 

 opinion, the characters which all these species possess in common, 

 constitute between them a link of affinity more important than the 

 structural differences which some of them shotv ". * In his later 

 work on the genera of Tipulid-E he adheres to this view, with 

 the exception of finally accepting 21olophilus as distinct, owing to 

 the peculiar origin of the 3rd longitudinal vein from the posterior 

 branch of the 2nd vein instead of from the praefurca, as in most 

 Eriopteui]"^!. 



Erioptera, as I understand it, is now retained for species in 

 which the 4th longitudinal vein has its posterior branch forked, 

 the discal cell open, coalescent with the 2nd posterior cell, and 

 the 7th vein often (though not in all cases) with the peculiar 

 character of running alongside the 6th for some distance, and 



The italics are mine. — E. B. 



