ii2 MEMOIRS ON THE COLEOPTERA 



may be without trace of club and moniliform as in Catogenus and 

 Scalidia, or finely filiform, as in the males of certain species of 

 Lcemophkeus, or they may be strongly clavate as in Silvaninae. In 

 Hemipeplus the tarsi are purely heteromerous in both sexes, and it 

 is for this reason that some have advised its removal to the Hetero- 

 mera, though it is not easy to find a congenial location for it even 

 there. In my own opinion it should form a distinct family near the 

 (Edemeridse. The Silvaninse introduce an inharmonious element 

 among Lcemophlceus and allied genera, and Hypocoprus is still more 

 incongruous. But this is not the place to propose many radical 

 alterations in the accepted classification, as it is merely the desire of 

 the writer to make known a number of hitherto undescribed species 

 from the many and considerable accessions made to his cabinet 

 during the last quarter century. 



This family was the subject of the first efforts on the part of the 

 writer in the field of taxonomy and, as might be well imagined, the 

 result was rather crude, including many mistakes due to inex- 

 perience. These errors are particularly noticeable in the identifica- 

 tions, as in some cases the provisional identifications in the collec- 

 tions of LeConte and Horn were relied upon, without going to original 

 sources for essential information. In the case of certain European 

 species, the identifications derived from descriptions were erroneous, 

 as became evident afterward from a series accurately identified and 

 very kindly transmitted by Mr. A. Grouvelle. In the meantime, 

 Dr. David Sharp published his admirable treatise on the Mexican 

 and Central American forms, as a part of the great Biologia Centrali- 

 Americana, of Godman and Salvin; this materially advanced our 

 knowledge of the very difficult groups involved. Dr. Sharp cor- 

 rectly reinstated Parandrita and subdivided the genus Lcemo- 

 phlcens in part, separating the species of the testaceus type under the 

 name Silvanophlceus , by reason of the peculiar closure of the an- 

 terior acetabula, as well as because of their different habitus, which 

 alone would almost have warranted the course pursued. 



Subfamily PASSANDRIISLE. 

 Passandra Dalm. 



That genera are clearly limited groups of species, at any rate in 

 some parts of the Coleoptera, is well demonstrated by those con- 



