[_From the_ JOURNAL _of the_ PROCEEDINGS _of the_ LINNEAN SOCIETY _of_
LONDON, March 1856.]
Catalogue of the Dipterous Insects collected at Singapore and Malacca by
Mr. A. R. WALLACE, with Descriptions of New Species. By FRANCIS WALKER,
Esq., F.L.S.
[Read January 15th, 1856.]
Mr. A. R. Wallace, so well known for his natural-history researches in
the valley of the Amazons, and for the extensive and valuable
collections sent home by him from that portion of South America, has now
turned his attention to the eastern world, and is actively investigating
the natural history of the East Indian Islands, after having spent some
months on the Malay Peninsula. A large portion of Mr. Wallace’s
entomological collections pass into my hands, and being desirous of
making his labours scientifically useful, I have requested Mr. F.
Walker, who has such an intimate knowledge of the insects belonging to
the order _Diptera_, to draw up the following catalogue of the dipterous
insects discovered by Mr. Wallace at Singapore and Malacca. My object in
so doing is to establish a kind of starting-point for tracing hereafter,
when all Mr. Wallace’s collections shall have come to hand, the
geographical distribution of the _Diptera_ in the very interesting
portion of the globe which Mr. Wallace is now investigating with such
indefatigable zeal. Singapore and Malacca, at the extremity of the Malay
Peninsula, are well placed for carrying out the purpose I have in view,
being in connexion northwards through the Burman Empire with the
expanded continent of Asia, and southwards in close approximation with
that archipelago of splendid islands which run in a chain to the north
coast of Australia, and send off a branch northwards through the
Philippine Islands to the coast of China, touching there again the
mainland of Asia. The present catalogue will be followed very shortly by
one detailing the species of _Diptera_ discovered in Borneo, the
materials for which are now nearly all in this country, and other
catalogues will follow until Mr. Wallace’s discoveries in the _Diptera_
are exhausted. That Mr. Wallace will be able to visit all the islands of
the Indian Archipelago is not to be expected; but still, his plan of
exploring those which have been but little examined in a natural-history
point of view, will open up a large amount of information, which, when
combined with the labours of other naturalists who have been working in
the same districts, will give sufficient facts for laying down some laws
on the geographical distribution of the insects belonging to the Order
which forms the subject of the following catalogue. The specimens
collected at Singapore and Malacca were taken during the six months
commencing with May and terminating with October. Where the altitude of
the locality above the level of the sea of any species is known, this
will be found noted in the proper place. Figures will be given to
illustrate new genera or any very remarkable species.