46 
PSYCHE 
[April 
RECENT ENTOMOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 
E.'^RLY STAGES OF CARABIDAE. 
.Among the recent publications on Entomology is one which is of especial 
interest to Coleopterists, by Dr. George Dimmock and Mr. Frederick Knab, 
entitled: “Early Stages of Carabidae,” (Springfield Museum of Natural History, 
Bulletin No. i, 1904, pp. 1-55, pis. 1-4). It is certainly a valuable contribution 
to our knowledge of the larvae and metamorphoses of the family of which it treats, 
and is of interest to systematists as well as to students of life history, for, as is 
every day becoming more apparent, when our knowledge of the early stages of 
Coleoptera is sufficiently developed, we shall doubtless find that the larval char- 
acters will be of much service in determining the correct position of many groups 
the relationship of which is now more or less obscure. 
The article is written by Dr. Dimmock from notes taken by both authors. 
Plates 1-3 are drawn by Mr. Knab, the fourth plate by Dr. Dimmock. 
.After a few prefatory remarks, the reader is informed of the method employed 
by the authors in rearing larvm, and directions are given for so doing, as well as 
for the proper study of them. Great stress is laid upon the importance of the 
study of larval exuviae, which often “reveal many structures not visible on the 
larva itself,” and instructions are given for mounting on microscope slides in 
order to preserve them for e.xamination. This is followed by a thorough resume 
of our present knowledge of the characters of Garabid larv.a;, evidently the result 
of long and careful reading and study. Each character is fully discussed, ex- 
amples are cited, and references given to an ample bibliography, which closes 
the paper. 
.A large part of the paper is devoted to descriptions of the metamorphoses of 
Dicaelus purpuratus, Brachynus jan'/iimpeimis, Pterosfichus styyicus and P. adoxus, 
those of the last two species having not been described heretofore. Very full and 
detailed descriptions are given of the larvm, larval habits, pupa, emergence and 
changes in color, both before and after emergence. In the descriptions of the 
larvae, a system of formulae is employed, which seems to be a very useful method 
for the comparison of the jointed appendages of different species, as well as of 
