Notes Upon Surcouf′s Treatment of the Tabanidæ in the GeneraInsectorum and Upon Enderlein′s Proposed New Classification ofThis Family

The Tabanidm are a family of Diptera of considerable economic importance. They are universal in their distribution and extremely numerous in species, over 2,100 forms having been described thus far. The great majority of these bite and suck the blood of vertebrates and thus become at times very troublesome to man and his domestic animals, in addition to being actual or potential carriers of infectious diseases. Surcouf’s review of the family in Wytsman’s "Genera Insectorum" (Brussels, 1921, 205 pp., 5 Pls.) must therefore be greeted with satisfaction. Only those who have attempted work along similar lines can fully appreciate the amount of painstaking drudgery and first-hand knowledge involved to make such compilations of real value. Considered as a whole, Surcouf’s revision is as satisfactory as it could have been made wi,hin a reasonable limit of time and it is far from my intention to present herewith unfavorable criticism. My remarks are merely prompted by the ever increasing interest these flies are assuming for medical and veterinary entomology, so that Surcouf’s work is likely to be perused as a source of information by many students with little or no entomological training. It seems therefore necessary to call attention to certain omissions and errors which might easily lead astray the non-specialist. In the introductory part Surcouf deals with the external morphology and adds certain details of internal anatomy: his researches upon the structure of the ocelli and the genitalia are presented as original work. An account of the habits of the adults, oviposition, larval and pupal stages, and enemies follows. This is supplemented by some original observations in an appendix (pp. 186-194) and also by notes under the several genera.