The Phylogenetic Classification of Diptera Cyclorrhapha

Book excerpt: "This work is a specialized dissertation covering a limited field of enquiry. I deal mainly with two interrelated topics, the structure of the male postabdomen and genitalia of cyclorrhaphous flies and how these insects should be classified in a phylogenetic system. Much new information and interpretation is presented here, as well as commentary on the observations and interpretation of previous authors. The field covered by this work has long been recognized as difficult. It is my hope that I will succeed in this work in dispelling some of the difficulties. My proposal of revised terminology for certain parts of the external genitalia thus should not be regarded as innovation for its own sake, but as an attempt to remedy a situation which has been widely recognized as unsatisfactory."--Page 2