175 



COLEOPTERA. "'''fi^^'- 



III. COLEOPTERA CARABOIDEA'. 

 By D. Sharp. 



Contents. § i, General rej)iarks ; \ 2, Systematic account : \ 3, Bionomical notes ; 



% 



J 4, Bibliograpltic list. 



\ 1. General Remarks. 



The Adephaga or Caraboidea form one of the great divisions of Coleoptera and 

 include at present probably between 15,000 and 20,000 described species. About 

 212 species are here enumerated as members of the Hawaiian Fauna. The number 

 of species in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is about 450, the area 

 of the Hawaiian Islands being about one-eighteenth that of the United Kingdom. 

 The series Adephaga of modern authors consists of seven families, only two ot which 

 are represented in Hawaii. The five families unrepresented in the Hawaiian Fauna are 

 however comparatively small and, with the exception of the Cicindelidae, unimportant. 



The two families present in Hawaii are the Carabidae with 210 species and the 

 Dytiscidae with 2. The Carabidae are entirely terrestrial, the Dytiscidae aquatic. 



Of the 2 1 2 species composing the Fauna 2 i 1 are precinctive, or confined to the 

 area. The single species that is not precinctive is one that is distributed in various 

 parts of the world, it is believed, by travellers. This species, Plochioniis pallens, has 

 been found on the island of Maui near Lahaina, the port first frequented by foreign 

 commerce, and does not appear to e.xtend its range, though it is probable that many 

 years have elapsed since its introduction, which probably dates from the time when 

 Lahaina was frequented by whaling ships. It is now, and for many years past has 

 been, I believe, a comparatively unimportant commercial locality. 



Of the 212 species of Hawaiian Caraboidea 149 are here described as new; 

 60 were discovered and described by the Rev. T. Blackburn (now of Adelaide) during 

 his residence at Honolulu, about twenty-five years ago, as a chaplain of Bishop Willis ; 

 the other three were known to earlier authors. 



' Parts I and II of Coleojjtera appeared in Vol. n ; they dealt with Phytophaga, Rhynchopliora, 

 Heteromera, and Cioidae. 



F. H. III. . 23 



