202 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Vol. xxx. 



Pres. John D. Sherman, Jr., in the chair, with ii members and one visitor 

 present. 



Dr. Bequaert spoke on " Problems of African Insect Distribution as 

 exemplified by Ants." He said that in studying the geographical distribution 

 of plants or animals, either the causes which produce the differences in the 

 faunas and floras of various parts of the world, or the correlation between 

 the organisms occurring in a certain region and their environment, may be 

 investigated. In either case a taxonomic census of the various forms of life 

 is the first step to be taken. As the method of investigation in this branch 

 of natural history is chiefly comparative, it is of the utmost importance that 

 our knowledge of the faunas and floras of all parts of the world be progress- 

 ing at about the same pace. In this connection the study of the African 

 fauna by the American Museum of Natural History, under the inspiration 

 and with the support of President Henry Fairfield Osborn. is of especial 

 value. The latest Museum contribution to the zoology of the Belgian Congo 

 is an extensive report on the ants by Professor William Morton Wheeler. 

 The first part of his paper has now appeared and from it were taken the data 

 presented by Dr. Bequaert. Investigation of the many fauna of Africa has 

 been carried on mostly during the last three decades. Delia Torre's Cata- 

 logue of Formicidse published in 1890 recorded 228 species for the Ethiopian 

 and 119 for the Malagasy region, while in 1920 these figures became respec- 

 tively 920 and 21J, according to Professor Wheeler's calculations. Counting 

 various varieties and subspecies. 1.850 forms of ants have been described so 

 far from the Ethiopian region. Of the 269 genera of ants known at present, 

 90 occur in the Ethiopian region, 34 of these being endemic there ; most of 

 the other African genera being found also in the Malagasy. Indomalayan, 

 Papuan and Australian regions. The relations of the Ethiopian ant fauna 

 with that of the Palearctic, Nearctic and Neotropic regions are very slight. 

 It is especially worthy of mention that the Ethiopian region has only 22 

 genera in common with the Neotropical, and these are mostly of cosmopolitan 

 or " tramp " forms. Dr. Bequaert showed a series of maps, from Professor 

 Wheeler's report, illustrating various types of distribution represented by 

 Ethiopian ants. Of the genera endemic in that part of the world some range 

 over the entire Ethiopian region (Paltothyreus. Megaponera, Plectroctena and 

 Atopoinyrmex), others are seemingly restricted to the Savannah country of 

 the Sudan, and east and south Africa (Messor and Ocymyrmex), and still 

 others occur in the West African Rain Forest {Macromischoides. Psalidomyr- 

 mex, Engranima and Phrynoponera) . Pachysima is peculiar in being found 

 only inside the branches of certain plants of the genus Barteria, which is not 

 known outside of the West African Forest Province. 



Mr. Nicolay gave some " Notes on Beetles of Washington, D. C," show- 

 ing especially Cleridae including rare and interesting species, with an account 

 of his experiences on many collecting trips. 



Mr. Angell called attention to the capture by Mr. Lesieski of Hydrobius 

 tesselatus at Cluson Point. 



