COLEOPTERA 17; 



reason for believing actually occurs — may ipso facto pass from the genus of its parents 

 to another. It follows that the contemporary members of one generation may possibly 

 belong to two different genera, though having the same specific parentage. 



In admitting this many will say that I have condemned the system I adopt, and 

 that under such a system taxonomy would be merely a synonym with chaos. 



To this I reply that I do not wish this method to be applied at once to the 

 Carabidae of other parts of the world. The Hawaiian Fauna is, as regards this family, 

 as isolated as are the islands, and we may be content with seeing how this method 

 works with this isolated faunistic fragment. 



And I may add that I have reason to believe that these dislocations of taxonomy— 

 if they occur at all — occur but rarely. 



If the study of the Hawaiian Fauna should show that they do occur ; and if 

 observation should show that, at the periods of the phylogeny when they occur, they 

 do so in some cases with frequency, some evidence of real importance as to the mode 

 of origination of species and of genera will have been disclosed. 



A brief statement of this subject will reveal some very interesting facts. The 

 209 species of Hawaiian Carabidae belong to four groups, Anchomenides, Pterostichides, 

 Bembidiides and Lebiides. The Lebiides should however be omitted, as the group 

 contains only two species, neither of which has I believe any claim to be considered 

 a natural member of the Hawaiian fauna. One of them, Plochionus pallens, I have 

 already alluded to as having been probably introduced to Maui by the whalers that 

 formerly frequented the roadstead of that island. The other, Saronycliinin iuconspicintiu. 

 is not known to exist elsewhere. It was discovered by Mr Blackburn twenty-five years 

 ago, one specimen being found in Honolulu, and a second among dead leaves on 

 Konahuanui. It has never been found since, and it is therefore very doubtful whether 

 it actually exists in the Archipelago. Its discovery elsewhere would finally discredit it 

 as a natural member of the Hawaiian fauna. 



The precinctive Hawaiian Carabidous fauna may therefore be considered to 

 consist of 209 species, belonging entirely to three groups. The Carabidous fauna of the 

 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland consists of about 315 species, belonging 

 to 25 groups. The remarkable taxonomic concentration of the Hawaiian fauna is not 

 however adequately expressed by this brief statement because the Pterostichides form 

 generally one of the largest and most varied of all the groups of Carabidae in all parts 

 of the world ; but in the Hawaiian fauna it includes ■]'^ species, all of which would be 

 placed in a single genus, Cyclothorax, were it not that I have separated them therefrom 

 and divided them into four cjenera on certain of the de^radational characters that form 

 so marked a feature of the Hawaiian Carabidae. 



Flightlessness. Vestigial wings. Much has been written on this subject, but 

 the conclusions usually stated have a very small basis of fact, and interesting as the 

 subject is, it must be considered a really neglected one. The data I here give are 



2^ — 2 



