vil INTRODUCTION. 
here than to follow Chevrolat, Pascoe, and Faust in placing a certain number of the 
more striking forms under separate generic names. The completion of such a task is 
beyond the scope of the present work, and it can only be attempted when the whole of 
the American Rhynchophorous fauna is studied. 
Amongst the various groups enumerated, it may be noted that only one of those 
at all numerous in species, the Anthonomina, is about equally well represented in 
the United States of North America. The Hyperina, Cleonina (Lizus excepted), 
Pissodina, Erirrhina, Tychiina, and Balaninina are mostly Holarctic, the species 
becoming fewer in number within the tropics, such well-known genera as Cleonus 
and Pissodes not extending south of Mexico. On the other hand, the groups 
Cryptorrhynchina, Hylobiina, Cholina, &c., the members of which mostly attack 
trees in their various stages of decay, are extremely numerous, both in species and 
individuals, throughout the warmer regions of America. The Sitonina have doubtless 
been introduced into Mexico from Europe. 
The food-plants and habits of scarcely any of the Central-American Curculionine 
have been observed, unfortunately, though it may be stated in a general way that a 
very large proportion of the specimens belonging to the groups Hylobiina, Anchonina, 
Otidocephalina, Erodiscina, Lamosaccina, Cholina, and Cryptorrhynchina obtained 
by the present writer were beaten from the withered leaves or branches of fallen 
deciduous trees in forest-clearings. One species, however, Anthonomus grandis, the 
‘* Mexican Cotton-boll Weevil,” has now become notorious as a destructive insect 
wherever cotton is cultivated. 
We are indebted to the authorities of the Berlin Museum for the loan of their 
Mexican and Central-American Otidovephalina; to Dr. Chr. Aurivillius and Dr. Yngve 
Sjostedt, of the Stockholm Museum, for communicating a number of types described 
in Schonherr’s work, as well as some others contained in the Chevrolat collection ; . 
and to Dr. K. M. Heller, of the Dresden Museum, for the loan of many Cryptorrhynchids 
described by Faust. Prof. G. Biolley, of San José, Costa Rica, has from time to time 
forwarded various Costa Rican forms, thus helping us to give a better account of the 
fauna of that country than we have been able to do with the other families of beetles 
already treated. Mr. H. F. Wickham, of Iowa City, too, has again been kind enough 
to supply specimens of many North-American species, invaluable for comparison 
with Mexican insects. 
