

II 



326 Bibliographical Notices. 



insect is the Libellula Virgo of Linnaeus ; it was placed by Fabricius 

 in his genus Agrion, and adopted by Leach as the type of his genus 

 Calepteryx (called Calopteryx by recent authors). Since the time 

 of Leach many allied species have been described, some of which 

 have been regarded by their describers as warranting the establish- 

 ment of new genera, until at length the Linnsean species has become 

 the type of a subfamily, to which the name of Calopterygince is 

 applied, containing one hundred species, divided into no less than 

 twelve genera. Of these two species only were known to Linnaeus, 

 and four to Fabricius ; Burmeister in 1839 only mentions sixteen 

 species, and Rambur in the last general work upon the Neuroptera 

 published in 1841, describes only twenty-seven. For the knowledge 

 of the remainder science is indebted to the author of the small work 

 whose title stands at the head of this notice. 



The author informs us in his preface that this ' Synopsis ' consists 

 of the synoptical tables which he prepared for his own use whilst 

 working upon a monograph of the Calopterygince which is now in 

 the press. It is intended in fact to serve as a sort of prodromus to 

 the larger work, and contains in a semi-tabular form, short characters 

 of all the divisions, genera and species which will be described more 

 fully in the latter. The reputation of M. de Selys-Longchamps 

 renders it almost unnecessary for us to say anything with regard to 

 the merits of his work ; we may observe however that it appears to 

 have been executed with great care, the specific characters especially 

 being very carefully drawn up. 



The species are distributed into twelve genera — namely, 1. Calo- 

 pteryx {Calepteryxy Leach) ; 2. Neurobasis (suppressed in an ap- 

 pendix and united with Phaon) ; 3. Echo ; 4. Phaon ; 5. Vestalis ; 

 6. Hetcerina^ Hagen ; 7. Euphcea (including Epallage, Charp.) ; 

 8. Heliocharis ; 9. Bicterias ; 10. Libellago (including Rhinocypha 

 and Micromerus, Ramb.) ; 11. Amphipteryx ; and 12. Thore, Hagen, 

 Those genera to which no author's name is attached are due to 

 M. de Selys himself. Of the higher groups or Legions the author 

 gives the following tabular arrangement : — 



Legions. Genera. 

 rPterostigma short 



f SEexioN I. I or wanting \. Calopteryx 1-6. 



Epistoma not > 

 SuBDiv. I. I prominent, Pterostigma very 



Costal and subcostal ' L long, regular . . 2. Euphcea . . 7-9' 



nervures nearly Section II. 

 ,- Division I. equal in number. 1 Epistoma very 



The tvpo sectors of, ^prominent 3. Libellago . . 10. 



the arculus ari-S Subdiv. II. 

 sing from about J Only 2-3 subcostal 

 its middle. nervules ; costal 



^ . I nervules more nu- 



^ ^ j merous <• Amphipteryx 1 1 . 



Division II. '^ 

 The two sectors 

 of the arculus 

 arising together 

 .from its apex h. Thore 12. 



Of the geographical distribution of these insects M. de Selys speaks 

 as follows : — The Calopterygince are distributed over the whole of 

 the warm and temperate portions of the globe, except in Oceania. 



