303 



SOME ANNOTATIONS TO M. DISTANTS 

 REGENT CATALOGUE OF THE GIGADID^ [Hem.] (1). 



by C.-IV. Kirkaldy. 



I hâve already called attention to one or two slips in this 

 Catalogue (2), but having recently worked through it extensively 

 for the study of geographical distribution, I find it necessary to 

 deal with it again, 



A récent Catalogue of any kind, so long as it is reasonably 

 complète on any particular side, is a gift of the gods, but M. Distant 

 has worked so long at Cicadidœ, and has had such spécial oppor- 

 tunities, that it is a great disappointment to find this Catalog so 

 incomplète in some ways, when it could hâve been more nearly 

 perfecled with very little extra trouble to the author. 



Not a single biologie note, no list of food-plants, no list of 

 parasites and predators, is to be found, and the author possibly 

 deems thèse inconsistent with the scope of a « synonymie » 

 Catalogue. There is certainly, however, no excuse apparent for the 

 shabby manner in which the Géographie Distribution is treated. 



For M. Distant, « Australia » embraces not only the typical fauna, 

 i. e the Eucalyptus- and other forests of New South Wales, 

 Victoria, etc. (the Euronotian Subregion), but also Western 

 Australia (the Westralian Subregion comprising a very différent 

 fauna), as well as tropical Queensland, which is a part of the 

 Austromalayan Subregion! 



« Malaya », for M. Distant, may mean anythingfrom Sumatra to 

 the Philippines (3), including the Malay Peninsula. although, in 

 this sensé, two Régions and from 3 to 5 Subregions (according to 

 individual opinion) are included. 



« China » includes an enormous area, partly palœarctic, partly 

 Oriental, but is usually left without further comment (4). 



The following notes will probably save some of my Colleagues a 

 certain amount of trouble. I hâve mostly accepted, for the présent 

 purpose, M. Distant's gênera. 



(1) « A synonymie Catalogue of the Homoptera », part 1. « Cicadidse », 

 London, 1906 [not specially dated, but afterMarch 24th]. 



(2) Eutom., XXXIX 286-7 (Dec. 1906) and op cit., XL. 58-60 (Mardi 1907) 

 Distant replied op cit., p. 2 (Jan. 1907). 



(3) Thie Philippines including, without further comment, Palàwan, which 

 zoologically is practically Bornéo. 



(4) I am aware that many of the older Chinese records were not explicit. 



