ZOOLOGY. . 65 
Endomychide, and Coccinellide (these three families being here placed at the end of 
the Coleopterous series in Vol. VII.) are treated as belonging to the same division. 
The Silphide, Corylophide, Trichopterygide, Spheriide, and Scaphidiide were 
worked out by Mr. Matthews, the Histeride by Mr. G. Lewis, and the remaining 
sixteen families by Dr. Sharp, the last named author also contributing a list of the 
Rhipidandri—a small group of somewhat uncertain position, but really belonging to 
the Tenebrionid-series near Boletophagini. The total number of species is 1629, of 
which 996 are described as new. ‘The dates of publication of the various subjects are: 
Pselaphide and Scydmenide, 1887; Silphide—Scaphidiide, 1887-1888; Histeride, 
1888; Phalacride—Byrrhide, 1888-1905; Rhipidandri, 1905. The ‘ Introduction’ 
to this Volume was simply an editorial note; but in his remarks on the Histeride 
(p. 182) Mr. Lewis states that the chief interest of this series of insects centres 
in the species which feed on the wood-boring Coleoptera of other families. ‘The 
nineteen uncoloured plates include, it is believed, some of the finest lithographic 
illustrations of beetles that have as yet been published, those devoted to the Colydiide 
(plates xiv. and xv.) being particularly excellent. The artist, Baron Max Schlereth, 
was unfortunately unable to draw the whole number. 
18. CoLeortera. Vol. IL. part 2: by H. W. Bates: Pectinicornia and Lamellicornia. 
The total number of species for these two impcrtant families is 1100—72 Pectini- 
cornia and 1028 Lamellicornia. ‘The author, in his ‘ Introduction’ (published in 
1890), remarks that the Pectinicorn-fauna is exceedingly poor in the chief family of 
the tribe, viz., the Lucanide; but, on the other hand, it is unusually rich in the more 
aberrant family, the Passalide. A comparison with such allied faunas from other 
parts of the world, which have been sufficiently worked out to give approximately 
accurate results, seems to show that the poverty in Lucanide arises from Central 
America lying too far south to have been reached by many species of Old-World genera, 
‘and too far north for the genera characteristic of South Brazil, Chile, and the Andes. 
The conditions seem, however, to be very favourable to the Passalidz, which all pass 
their earlier stages in rotting tree-trunks, reaching their highest development and 
exhibiting more diversity of form here than in any other region. All the families 
of Lamellicornia are well represented in Central America; they include 1028 species 
belonging to 127 genera, but a comparison of the Lamellicorn-fauna with that of 
other tropical regions of similar extent is impossible, as the necessary data do 
not exist ina connected form. The actual number of species described up to 1890, 
for the whole world, may be roughly estimated at 10,000. Of the twenty-four plates 
illustrating the 492 species figured, all but one (Pectinicornia) are coloured. 
Since this Volume was finished (in 1890) a good many species of Lamellicornia 
have been added by various authors, these showy beetles being great favourites 
BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Introd. Vol., January 1915. K 
