DESCRIPTIONS OF THE NEW GENERA AND SPEi'IES 



OF PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTERA 



OBTAINED BY DR. MODIGLIANI IN SUMATRA 



BY MARTIN JACOBY 



Since the descri])tioiis of the Coleoplera of " Midden Sumatra " 

 published by the Levderi Museum in i88() no similar worlv on 

 the fauna of that great island has to my knowledge appeared ; 

 it was the more interesting to receive from Dr. Gestro the large 

 collection of Phytophaga obtained by Dr. Modigliani in Sumatra 

 for my examination. Nothing is of more use to the study of 

 Entomology than faunistic work, all isolated descriptions being 

 rather a hindrance then otherwise, since they have to be looked 

 for amongst unknown numbers of publications. Sumatra no 

 doubt, contains, like many other islands of the Malayan region, 

 numerous interesting and unknown forms, and many years must 

 elapse before we can hope to be ac(|uainted in a thorough way 

 with its insect fauna. It may therefore be too early yet to ge- 

 neralize with any degree of certainty as to the affinities of the 

 different islands with each other and the southern parts of India, 

 although Wallace has attempted this and come to certain con- 

 clusions. As far as the Phytophaga are concerned, there certainly 

 seems ground for the assumption that Sumatra has many affi- 

 nities with Burmah and other {)arts of India, even more perhaps 

 than with Borneo or .Tava; in regard to the genus Sagra how- 

 ever, the latter named islands seem to produce, or are the 

 principal home of these handsome insects, which in Sumatra are 

 only represented by one or two species , while India again is 

 rich in Sagras, and since these insects are of large size and 

 handsome appearance it is not likely that they should have been 



