SYNONYMY ANP AFFINITIES. 



Synonymy and Affinities. 



Although Robineau-Desvoidy's description of Nemorhina 

 palpalis is very brief, it is nevertheless recognisable ; and though 

 in this case I have not been able to examine the type, which 

 there is only too much reason to fear is no longer in existence,* 

 there need, I think, be no hesitation in applying the name 

 jxilpalis to the present species. On the other hand, subsequent 

 writers, relying on Wiedemann's desci'iption, and without having 

 seen his type, may well be excused for considering it to be 

 Wiedemann's longipaJpis, especially since the type of the latter 

 was stated to be from Sierra Leone. Judging merely from the 

 description,! Glossina longipa^pis, Wied., would appear to have 

 l)een described from a specimen of the present species with pale 

 legs, and well-marked pale median stripe and hind margins to 

 the abdominal segments («'.e. var. tachinoides). As will be shown 

 below, however, an examination of Wiedemann's type, which by 

 the courtesy of the authorities of the Vienna Museum I have 

 been enabled to make, proves conclusively that Glossina longi- 

 paljns, Wied., is a distinct species nearly allied to Gl. morsitann, 

 Westw. 



The type of Glossina tachinoides, Westw., is a mere fragment, 

 but fortunately sufficient remains to establish its identity, and to 

 show that it cannot be regarded as anything more than a variety 

 of palpalis. 



* As ah'cady stated in the previous note, according to the author 

 Nemorhina ■palpalis was dcsciibed from a specimen in tlie collection of 

 Comte Dejean. In the hope of obtaining some information as to the type, 

 and perhaps eventually the loan of it, I applied to the jMuseum d'Histoire 

 Naturelle, Paris, and received the following courteous reply (dated 

 " 17 avril 1902 ") from M. Joanny IMartin, Assistant in charge of the 

 collections of Diptera and Kemiptera in the Museum : — " J'ai le regret 

 de vous apprendre que nous ne possedons malheureusement pas la collec- 

 tion da Kobiueau-Desvoidy. Get auteur avait legue ses collections au 

 Musee d'Auxerre (Yonne). Depuis plusieurs annees, il ne reste plus rien, 

 absolument rien. Cependant comme celNIuscide appartenait a la collection 

 Dejean il est bien possible que le lot de Dipteres fut achete par Bigot, qui 

 a cette epoque deja etudiait ies Dipteres. Dans ce cas vous trouveriez le 

 type qui vous preoccupe chez IMr. Verrall qui a achete la collection Bigot. 

 C'est la derniere chance qu'il vous reste pour retrouver ce pr^cieux Diptere." 

 Unfortunately there is no trace of Robineau-Desvoidy's type among the 

 specimens from the Bigot Collection which INIr. VeiTall has kindly lent 

 me — unless indeed it is one of those without a label alluded to above, in 

 which case there is now no means of identifying it. 



t Wiedemann's figure (Auss. Zw. Ins. II., PI. IX., fig. 10a) is worthless, 

 but at the same time supports an erroneous conclusion by conveying the 

 impression of a species with very dark abdomen and well-marlied pale hind 

 margins to the abdominal segments. 



