112 MAINE AGRICULTURAL KXPKRIMENT STATION. I912. 



lying perfectly flat. The hypopygium, unless it is turned side- 

 wise, should also be cut off and separately mounted. A iew 

 color notes, describing palpi, halteres, thorax, and abdomer. 

 are necessary, but they may be quite brief, the description not 

 necessarily occupying more space than is found upon a micro 

 scope slide label. In the descriptions which follo,v it must be 

 borne in mind that the body length given refers to dried speci- 

 mens, balsam mounts and alcoholic specimens being about a 

 third longer. The same caution must be observed in interpret- 

 ing antennal lengths relative to that of the body ; in drying, the 

 antennae do not shrink proportionally to that of the body, o:- 

 more particularly of the abdomen. In comparing dimensions, 

 wing measurements, etc., of any specimen with the figures given 

 it will be imperative to use a micrometer scale and not depend 

 solely upon the eye to estimate proportions. 



Characters of the subfamily. Distinguished from the 

 Mvcctophilinac by the shorter coxse and by the wing venation 

 the R-M crossvein being in the same right line with the second 

 section of the radial sector, and the cubitus forking near the 

 base of the wing. 



In a recent paper (Archiv f. Naturgeschichte, 191 1) Pro- 

 fessor Enderlein proposes a new arrangement of the genera 

 based upon what appear to be good grounds. He separates the 

 MycetophiUda from the Sciaridcc upon the form of the eye. 

 In the former the eye is oval, sometimes more or less emargi- 

 nate, but not contiguous over the base of the antennae. In the 

 Sciaridcc the eye posesses a slender process which passes over 

 the base of the antenna meeting or nearly meeting the process 

 from the opposite eye, thus forming a yoke or bridge over the 

 b"se of the scape. He divides the Sciaridcc into 2 subfamilies, 

 the Lycor'incc (Sciarincc) and the Lestrcmiincu, the latter here- 

 tofore having been considered a group under the Cccidoinyiidcc. 

 If this classification were adopted, of the following 10 genera, 

 Probolcrus, Manota and Pnyxia would find a place with the 

 Mycctophilincc, Zygoiiciira with Lestremiincc, and the remaining 

 genera with the Sciarincc. 



Table of North American Genera. 

 a. Proboscis longer than the thorax. 



h. Wing venation defective, several veins detached at base. (See 

 page 258 Part III) Probolaeiis. 



