When Dr. Afshar left Washington in 1952 to return to Iran, he left his manuscript in my hands with the request that I see it through the various necessary steps leading to its appearance in print. It is unfortunate that for a number of reasons this manuscript has remained virtually untouched, for the considerable labor that has gone into this work should have been available to workers for some time.

In preparation for its publication at this time I have come across a number of superspecific groups that have been proposed since Dr. Afshar finished his manuscript, and these I have added as a postscript. In each case I have copied the original diagnosis, including the description of the type-species, wherever it was given by the author, and whatever remarks were added. To this I have added in most cases my own comments regarding the allocation of the group, and wherever possible its position in Dr. Afshar’s system. In all cases I have illustrated the type-species on four supplementary plates either by photographs of the specimens in the collections of the U. S. National Museum or by copies of published figures. These new names have also been incorporated in the keys prepared by the author.