CLASSIFICATION OF COLEOPTERA. 165 



tion concerning the distribution, &c., of the various forms of 

 A. hetularia in their own particular districts in compliance with 

 a former request. 



It is hoped that the result of the investigation — which ia 

 partly statistical and partly experimental — may be to throw 

 some light on the cause of the remarkable change in colour that 

 has been observed in many British moths during the last sixty 

 years. 



The University, Manchester. 



ON SOME RECENT ATTEMPTS TO CLASSIFY THE 

 COLEOPTERA IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR 

 PHYLOGENY. 



By C. J. Gahan, M.A. 



(Published by Permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 

 (Continued from p. 125.) 



Ganglbauer remarks that this type seems to be a most ex- 

 treme modification from the original type, owing to the hook-like 

 connections of the media and radius with their branches. But he 

 points out that in many Nitidulidae the recurrent branch of the 

 media is very short, and in the Passalidse and many Rhyncho- 

 phora completely atrophied, so that, when the transverse veins 

 in the cubito-anal system are at the same time wanting, the 

 venation is very like that of the second type. We need not, 

 therefore, he says, derive the second type from the third. On 

 the contrary, he maintains that the second type is derived 

 directly from the Adephagan type, a point in which Kolbe 

 agrees with him. 



It is a point, however, on which Lameere takes a different 

 view, leading to a marked difference in his classification; for he 

 believes that the Staphylinoidean type of wing-venation must 

 have been derived from the Cantharoidean, and not directly 

 from the Adephagan type ; that, in consequence, the Staphyli- 

 noidea must have branched off from the common Polyphagan 

 stem at a later stage than the Cantharoidea, and should there- 

 fore come after them in the classification. But the decision of 

 this question does not rest solely on the wing-venation. Other 

 characters have to be considered ; and, in support of their view, 

 Ganglbauer and Kolbe are able to point to the strong resem- 

 blance between the primitive Staphylinoidean genus Pteroloma 

 and certain Carabida3, as well as to the great similarity between 

 the larvffi of the two groups. In Lameere's opinion these 

 resemblances are due to convergence. Ganglbauer's view that 

 the third type represents the widest modification from the 



