﻿A 
  SYNOPSIS 
  OF 
  PART 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEOTROPICAL 
  CRANE-FLIES 
  

   OF 
  THE 
  SUBFAMH^Y 
  LIMNOBIN^. 
  

  

  By 
  Charles 
  P. 
  Alexander, 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  Entomological 
  Lahoratory 
  of 
  Cornell 
  University, 
  Ithaca, 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  paper 
  is 
  the 
  partial 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  some 
  exten- 
  

   sive 
  collections 
  of 
  tropical 
  American 
  Tipulidse 
  or 
  crane-flies. 
  In 
  this 
  

   paper 
  the 
  tribes 
  Eriopterini 
  and 
  Limnophilini 
  are 
  included. 
  A 
  

   second 
  part 
  will 
  include 
  the 
  tribes 
  Limnobini, 
  Antochini, 
  and 
  Hexa- 
  

   tommi, 
  completing 
  the 
  Limnobinse, 
  and 
  a 
  third 
  will 
  treat 
  of 
  the 
  

   Tipulmse. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  paper 
  the 
  term 
  Neotropical 
  is 
  used 
  as 
  synon^^mous 
  with 
  the 
  

   Neogsea 
  (m 
  part), 
  of 
  Sclater 
  (1858) 
  and 
  the 
  Dendrogjea 
  of 
  Sclater 
  

   (1874). 
  It 
  mcludes 
  South 
  America 
  and 
  the 
  adjacent 
  Falkland, 
  

   South 
  Georgia, 
  Juan 
  Fernandez, 
  and 
  Galapagoes 
  Islands; 
  the 
  West 
  

   Indies, 
  or 
  Antilles; 
  Central 
  America, 
  Mexico, 
  and 
  the 
  extreme 
  southern 
  

   portions 
  of 
  Florida 
  and 
  Texas. 
  

  

  Besides 
  describing 
  all 
  new 
  forms 
  and 
  redescribing 
  such 
  species 
  as 
  

   are 
  inadequately 
  handled 
  in 
  previous 
  descriptions, 
  I 
  have 
  thought 
  it 
  

   might 
  be 
  of 
  some 
  value 
  to 
  future 
  students 
  to 
  include 
  keys 
  to 
  the 
  

   genera 
  and 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  regional 
  forms. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  understood, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  the 
  difficulties 
  m 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  such 
  an 
  attempt 
  are 
  such 
  

   as 
  to 
  almost 
  discourage 
  one 
  from 
  undertaking 
  it. 
  One 
  must 
  remem- 
  

   ber 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  

   rediscovered 
  since 
  then- 
  origmal 
  description; 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  descrip- 
  

   tions 
  are 
  brief, 
  vague, 
  and 
  altogether 
  unsatisfactory. 
  Those 
  of 
  

   Fabricius 
  would 
  be 
  as 
  bad 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  Walker 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  not 
  for 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  Wiedemann, 
  who 
  had 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  Fabrician 
  types. 
  Phil- 
  

   ippi, 
  who 
  described 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  Chilean 
  species, 
  was 
  almost 
  

   unacquamted 
  with 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  European 
  writers 
  on 
  the 
  subject, 
  and 
  

   as 
  a 
  result 
  committed 
  some 
  grievous 
  errors, 
  such 
  as 
  ercctmg 
  the 
  

   genus 
  Plettusa 
  for 
  the 
  well-known 
  Geranomyia 
  (and 
  ref 
  errmg 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  

   Culicidse), 
  the 
  genus 
  Idioneura 
  for 
  the 
  well-kno^ai 
  and 
  cosmopolitan 
  

   Helobia; 
  the 
  genus 
  Polymoria, 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  misconception 
  that 
  the 
  

   insect 
  possessed 
  six 
  posterior 
  cells, 
  etc. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  insufficient 
  

   descriptions, 
  a 
  serious 
  difficulty 
  exists 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  several 
  score 
  of 
  

  

  Proceedings 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum, 
  Vol. 
  44— 
  No. 
  1966. 
  

   69077°— 
  Proc.N.M.vol.44— 
  13 
  31 
  481 
  

  

  