4 Introduction 



Forbes reached a similar result from his studies of the wings. 

 "Ochthebius and Hydra?na," he says, "do not belong here (in 

 Hydrophilidse), but with the aberrant "Silphidse;" and the latter he 

 classifies with his Staphyliniformia. 



It should be noted that within the families Anisotomidse and 

 Staphylinidae, the larval characters indicate many subfamilies, with 

 Oxyporina?, Habrocerinse, and others, quite definitely separated; and 

 that the Histeridse, on larval characters, are associated with 

 Hydrophiloidea, a view in which apparently Forbes' conclusions 

 are not entirely in accord. 



Hydrophiloidea. In this superfamily Dr. Boving groups Histeridae 

 and Helophoridse, "on account of an unquestionable conformity in 

 the development of the fundamental systematic characters ' ' of their 

 larvfp; Spercheida?; Hydrochid?e and Hydrophilidse, the latter 

 divided into subfamilies Berosinse, Hydrophilin^e, HydrobiinjB, and 

 Sphasridiinse. The treatment of Histeridse, regarded by Forbes as a 

 superfamil}^, and by Tillyard as "very distinct and isolated," is at 

 first sight rather startling; but it is to be noted that Forbes also 

 found that the venational characters seemed "to link with the 

 Hydrophilidse on one side and more closely to the Lamellicornia on 

 the other." The views of Tillyard regarding Hydrophiloidea as 

 "perhaps the oldest of existing Coleopterous groups" traceable "back 

 geologically to the upper Permian ' ' are interesting. He further says 

 "the fossil evidence, so far as at present available, would tend to 

 indicate that .... the development of longitudinal striae and intervals 

 is an entirel}^ new formation. If this be so, the almost smooth elytra 

 of many Hydrophilidse probably represent the most primitive type." 

 The same argument would apply to the comparatively smooth elytra 

 of the Histeridffi, and thereby support Dr. Boving 's classification of 

 the larvae. Moreover, while Hololepta and Hydrophilus in the adult 

 stage seem far apart, some of the small Saprini are not so dissimilar 

 to the Sphaeridiinse. 



Cucujoidea. Dr. Boving finds three types of larvae in the Poly- 

 phaga. The primitive type is found in its most characteristic and 

 original form in such families as the Limnebiidae, Leptinidae, and 

 Anisotomidae. From it are derived the more or less specialized larvae 

 of the Staphylinoidea and Hydrophiloidea, which have therefore 

 preceded other Polyphaga in his conspectus. 



A distinct polyphagous larval type is found in the series 

 Cucujoidea. It shows such close affinities with the staphylinoid- 

 leptinid type as to be placed next thereto in the conspectus. The 

 families included are (semi-colons indicating their grouping) 

 Eucinetid(E, Derodontidae, Monotomidae, Rhizophagidae ; Languriidce, 

 Cryj)tophagidae, SilvanidcB, Cucujidae, Prostomidce; Catogenidce, 

 LcEmopliloeidce, Phalacridte, Smicripidce, Corylophidae ; Nitidulidae, 

 CyhocephalidcB; Sphindidae; Lathridiidae, Murmidiidae, Endomy- 



