NORTH AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 163 



A synopsis of the HALiTICIKI of Boresil America. 



BY GEORGE H. HORN, M. D. 



The insects which constitute the study in the following pages have 

 never been dealt Avith in any systematic manner. The nearest ap- 

 l)roach was by Mr. Crotch (Proc. Acad. 1873), whose object seemed 

 to be rather the description of some of the more striking forms than 

 a conscientious study of the material before him. 



The European species have been the subject of distinct studies by 

 Allard, Foudras and Kutschera, while at the present time a fourth 

 work is in progress by Weise (Insecten Deutschl. vol. vi) and now 

 nearly completed. AVhile all of these have great merit, the last 

 named author has been enabled to profit by the studies of his prede- 

 cessors in a manner that leaves but little to be desired regarding the 

 species of central Europe. 



Our' species have been dealt with in an isolated manner, a few 

 having been described at a time by Fabricius, Olivier, Illiger, Say, 

 Melsheimer and LeConte, while in the work of Crotch, supplemented 

 by the Check List, gave, in accessible form, the approximately correct 

 generic position of the species which had neai'ly all been described 

 as Haltica. 



Chapuis has given (Genera xi) an interesting account of the de- 

 velopment of the tribe from the first suggestion of Altica by Geoffroy 

 to his own time, to which those interested may refer, it being deemed 

 unnecessary in an essay purely faunal to repeat what he has so well 

 said. 



The Halticini constitute a portion of a larger tribe, and are de- 

 fined by the structure of the posterior femora, which are more or 

 less dilated, often greatly so, giving to its possessors the powder of 

 jumping, from which the older authors adopted the designation 

 Saltdtoi'ifP.. 



The subdivision of the genera into groups is practically that 

 adopted by Chapuis, although certain changes have been made by 

 the partition of several of his groups, which will be explained in 

 their proper places. Of the nineteen groups suggested five only lack 



