178 MODERN CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS. 



primary groups of the Chilognathomorpha, nor assign a rank to its 

 different sections, although he was inclined to think that Scarabaeus, 

 Lucanus, and Hister were all referrible to one type, which he pro- 

 visionally named Acanthopoda, and which he accordingly united in 

 one table in the Horce Entomologicce, p. 25. ; in which Hister and Lu- 

 canus were united into a group named Rectocera*, and Scarabaeus 

 under the name of Petalocera, divided into two sections, supposed to 

 be of equivalent rank with the two preceding. Mr. MacLeay, how- 

 ever, subsequently admits that the only mode of accomplishing the 

 primary distribution of the Chilognathomorpha, is by investigating the 

 genera Ptinus, Buprestis, Elater, and Dermestes on the same principle 

 as he had previously pursued with the genus Scarabaeus. 



Being unwilling to trust myself in the solution of this difficult 

 question, and observing that the group as sketched by Mr. MacLeay 

 nearly corresponds with the two groups Lamellicornes (Cordylocerata) 

 and Serricornes of LatreiUe (Priocerata), I have preferred treading in 

 the steps of the last named author, and have adopted his distribution 

 of these groups with some slight modifications, commencing with such 

 of his Clavicorn beetles as have not been already described (ByrrhidiB 

 and Histerida?); which last^ as Mr. MacLeay has shown, are closely 

 allied to the Lucanidee amongst the Lamellicornes, from whence, by 

 means of some of the Cetoniidoe and Rutelidae, an evident approach is 

 made to the Buprestidae amongst the Serricornes. Mr, Stephens has 

 introduced the three following groups : — 



1 . Antennae terminated in a solid or perfoliated "i ~| 



club - - - . JClavicornes (Cordylocerata »') 



2. Antenna? terminated in a lamellated mass - Lamellicornes J 



3. Antennse serrated along their whole length - Serricornes (Priocerata W.) 



The first of these three groups comprises the two families, Byr- 



rhidae, having straight antennae, and Histeridae with elbowed antennae. 



The first family, BvRRHiD^t Leach, is of small extent, corresponding 



* Not only is this name improper, from combining two distinct languages, but also 

 liable to great uncertainty, the Petalocera being actually described as having the 

 "antennae rectas" in the table alluded to above. 



f BiBLioGR. References to the Byrrhid^. 

 Sturm, Deutchsl. Fauna, vol. ii. 

 Leach, in Linn. Trans, vol. xiii. (Murmidius). 



