2 [January, 



STUDIES IN HELO PHORINI. 

 BY D. SHARP, M.A., F.R.S. 



1. THE GENEEA. 



In the valuable catalogue of HydropMlidae recently published by 

 M. Ph. Zaitzev (Horae Soc. ent. Eoss., xxxviii, 1908), Heloplwrini is 

 very judiciously treated as a separate sub-family consisting of tln*ee 

 genera, Helojphorus, Fahrea, and Prosthetops. G-anglbauer had, how- 

 ever, previously pointed out that Fahrea is not a Hydrophilid at all, 

 but probably a Scarabaeid. Although I have never seen the genus 

 I have no doiibt that he is correct in this opinion, and that the insect will 

 prove to be an aberrant member of the Aphodiim. 



M. A. d'Orchymont has recently (Ann. Soc. ent. Belgique, Ivii, 1913, 

 p. 315) rejected Prostlietops from the Helophorini ; and this is also, 

 I have no doubt, a correct course, the species being clearly more nearly 

 allied to Hydrochus ; in fact, Prosfhetops has only retained its position 

 in the Helopliorini from the time when Hvdroehus was also considered 

 a member of the sub-family I am treating of, and it should have been 

 rejected when HydrocJms was. 



M. d'Orchymont had, shortly before (I.e., p. 94), described a 

 new genus, Horelojjhus, and placed it with some hesitation in the 

 Helophorini. 



Horelophus is an extremely rare insect, discovered by Commander 

 Walker in New Zealand, only two specimens having been procured. 

 One of these, kindly lent by its generous discoverer, is now before 

 me, and I find that I cannot confirm the view of M. d'Orchymont ; 

 I have, indeed, little doubt that Horeloplins will prove to be more nearly 

 allied to Ochthebius than to Helophorus. 



This reduces the members of the sub-family Helopliorini to the 

 one genus, HelopJwrus, of the Russian cataloguer. That genus, how- 

 ever, must, it is quite clear to me, be dismembered. The family 

 Hydrophilidae is remarkable from the fact that it includes both aquatic 

 and terrestrial members. And this paradoxical fact occurs in two 

 distinct parts of the family, viz., among the Hydrophilid-Sphaeridiid 

 combination, and amongst the Helopliorini. Outside the Helophorini 

 the aquatic and terrestrial members are treated as separate sub-families, 

 but in the Helophorini the water-dwellers and the land-dwellers are 

 placed in the same genus. This is not a correct course. The terrestrial 

 members of Helophdrns are, it is true, treated as a distinct sub-genus, 



