46 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Feb., '2O 



gradually through a narrow meadow to long-leaf pine timber 

 land, some of which had been cleared. A small bridge crossed 

 the stream at the east end of the pond. The eastern half of 

 the meadow, north of the bridge proved a very fertile collect- 

 ing ground. The collecting here extended over the whole sea- 

 son of 1915. The following insects were taken here: Myndus 

 sp., Oliarus sp., Bruchomorpha sp., Thionia bullata Say, Acan- 

 alonia bivittata Say, Cenchrea uhleri Ball, Stenocranus sacchari- 

 vorus Westw., 5". angustatus Crawf., Bostaera nasuta Ball, 

 Pissonotus binotatus Spooner, Pissonotus sp.,Phyllodinus brun- 

 neus VanD. var (?), Liburniella ornata Stal, Liburnia andro- 

 meda VanD., Liburnia slossoni Ball, Liburnia puella VanD., 

 Liburnia magnistyla Crawf., Liburnia sp., and Dicranotropis 

 sp. 



The insects in this unusual list were almost wholly confined 

 to the north east side of the pond. A few species were found 

 at other points around the pond but other ponds apparently 

 similar' and in the same general locality lacked the greater 

 number of the species. 



The explanation of these "pockets" is not at hand. The 

 answer undoubtedly lies in the results of a very careful analy- 

 sis of the environment. A plant census should be taken of 

 one of these "pockets" and compared with similar areas which 

 lack the insects; at the same time comparisons should be 

 made of the humidity, rate of evaporation, light intensities 

 and temperatures of the different localities. 



On the next occurence of this kind which comes to the writ- 

 er's attention, he hopes to be able to make a study of this 

 character. These notes are published with the hope of stimul- 

 ating investigation along these lines, since they appear to be 

 most important in the study of insect distribution. 



Specific, Subspecific and Varietal Categories of 

 Insects and the Naming of them. 



By W. L. McATEE, U. S. Biological Survey, Washington, D. C. 



Current practice appears to recognize as satisfactory bases 

 for the recognition of groups of specific rank, non-intergrading 



