The internal classification of subgenus Nyssorhynchus has a complicated history. Christophers (1924) included Kerteszia in subgenus Nyssorhynchus, and Edwards (1932) followed this concept rather than the schemes proposed by either da Costa[ Lima (1928), who recognised Kerteszia and Nyssorhynchus as subgenera of genus Nyssorhynchus, or Dyar (1928), who treated these taxa as distinct subgenera of genus Anopheles. Edwards (1932) divided subgenus Nyssorhynchus into three groups. Groups A (Nyssorhynchus) and B (Myzorhynchella) together equate the current concept of subgenus Nyssorhynchus, and Group C (Kerteszia) equates subgenus Kerteszia. Kerteszia was again treated as a subgenus by Komp (1937, 1942), but its independent status remained in doubt (Zavortink, 1973) until Peyton et al. (1992) firmly established the uniqueness of this group.
Edwards (1932) subdivided his Group A (Nyssorhynchus) into the Argyritarsis, Tarsimaculatus and Rondoni series. This system remained unchanged until Gabaldon (1940) referred to the Tarsimaculatus Series as the Albimanus Series and divided it into the Albimanus, Oswaldoi and Triannulatus subseries. These categories were accepted by Gabaldon & Cova Garcia (1952) who placed additional species in the Triannulatus and Oswaldoi subseries.
Da Costa Lima (1928) split subgenus Nyssorhynchus into two groups, Groups A and B, which partially correspond to the contemporary Argyritarsis and Albimanus sections introduced by Faran (1980). In another scheme, Galvão (1943) divided the subgenus into two series, the Argyritarsis and Tarsimaculatus series, which correspond to Groups A and B of da Costa Lima (1928). Galvão further divided the Argyritarsis Series into two complexes (the albitarsis and argyritarsis complexes), and recognised a monotypic group (albimanus) and three complexes within the Tarsimaculatus Series (the rondoni, tarsimaculatus and triannulatus complexes). Levi Castillo (1949) divided the subgenus into the Albimanus and Argyritarsis groups, and included three series within the former. These series, the Albimanus, Oswaldoi and Triannulatus series, corresponded with the subseries of Gabaldon (1940), except that An. galvaoi and An. nuneztovari were shifted from the Oswaldoi Subseries to the Triannulatus Series.
The most recent treatments of subgenus Nyssorhynchus include Faran (1980), Linthicum (1988) and Peyton et al. (1992). Faran divided the subgenus into the contemporary Albimanus and Argyritarsis Sections and recognized the ‘Myzorhynchella group’. The latter was originally described as a genus by Theobald (1907), recognised as a group (Group B) by Edwards (1932), treated as a subgenus by Galvão (1941) and recently defined as a Section of coequal rank with the Albimanus and Argyritarsis Sections by Peyton et al. (1992). Faran (1980) and Linthicum (1988) revised the Albimanus and Argyritarsis Sections, respectively. Faran (1980) divided the Albimanus Section into the Albimanus (monotypic) and Oswaldoi Groups, separated the Oswaldoi Group into the Triannulatus (monotypic) and Oswaldoi Subgroups, and split the Oswaldoi Subgroup into the Oswaldoi and Strodei Complexes (later called the Oswaldoi and Strodei Series by Faran & Linthicum (1981). Linthicum’s (1988) classification of the Argyritarsis Section was first presented in Faran & Linthicum (1981). These authors divided the Argyritarsis Section into the Argyritarsis and Albitarsis Groups, subdivided the Argyritarsis Group into the Argyritarsis, Lanei (monotypic), Pictipennis (monotypic) and Darlingi (monotypic) Subgroups, and recognised the Albitarsis and Braziliensis (monotypic) Subgroups within the Albitarsis Group.
In view of the previous terms applied to different levels of classification within subgenus Nyssorhynchus, Harbach (1994) recognized the ‘groups’ and ‘subgroups’ of Faran (1980) and Linthicum (1988) and the ‘complexes’ of Faran (1980) as Series, Groups and Subgroups, respectively, to bring the informal classification of subgenus Nyssorhynchus more in line with that established for subgenera Anopheles and Cellia.
