35 NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN DIPTERA. Iso. v. By J. R. Malloch. (Communicated by D7'. E. W. Ferguson.) [Read 29th April, 1925.] In this paper I present keys for the recognition of the genera of Muscidae known to me from Australia. It is quite probable that there are some genera, and certain that there are many species, unknown to me, and I believe that the best method of interesting Australian students of Diptera in this rather difficult family is to make available to them data for the recognition of the known genera and species. From experience I judge that there is nothing tends more strongly to divert students from the intensive study of a group than a multiplicity of genera and species scattered throughout the literature of many countries, and in many languages, with no synoptic literature available for their recognition. I do not presume to say that this attempt to elucidate the Australian genera is perfect, that anyone without experience in the work may sit down and in an off-hand manner name whatever species comes to hand. But the matter herein presented is the result of over twenty years' study of the group and contains data which, in some cases, are made known for the first time in print. I have had ready for the press for some years a key to the genera of Muscidae of the world, but have delayed publishing it, as I desire to make a more extended study of some difficult groups, more especially those occurring in New Zealand. It would serve no good purpose, even for comparison, were I to include in this paper genera not yet known from Australia, so I confine my presentation strictly to those genera I have seen from my various correspondents in Britain, Australia, and elsewhere. Included in the family are all species that possess the following combination of characters: Second antennal segment with a longitudinal split at apex above, slightly to the outer side; spiracles of abdomen situated in the tergites at varying distances from the lateral margins, rarely in extreme margins; auxiliary vein of wing complete, ending in costa well in front of apex of first vein; postscutellum not convex; hypopleura without a vertical series of strong bristles below spiracle, sometimes with some fine hairs in this region; vibrissae present. The nearest related families are the Calliphoridae and Tachinidae on the one hand and the Dryomyzidae, Helomyzidae, and Sciomyzidae on the other. The group usually referred to as Scatophagidae or Cordyluridae I consider a subfamily referable to Muscidae, but I have seen no species from Australia that belongs here, the only genus referred to it definitely by a recent author, Tapeigaster Macquart, being, I think, an acalyptrate. Within the past two or three decades there has been considerable change in the opinions of workers on the calyptrates as to the limits as well as the number of families in this division. The more dogmatic definitions of these families have
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