1915] Lovell — Origin of Anthophily among the Coleopiera 83 



factor in determining the presence of certain genera. Banks ob- 

 served that "at a patch near woodlands where there were many 

 dead trees, a considerable variety of Longicorns were always obtain- 

 able; at another patch in an open meadow few Longicorns were 

 ever found." ^ The writer has also noticed that while the Cerara- 

 bycidse were common on the flowers of Aralia hispida and Spirsea 

 salicifolia in the open woodlands, they were entirely absent in the 

 pastures. Many genera and species of this family follow in their 

 distribution the coniferous forests of the north.- The season of 

 the year is likewise important as fewer beetles are on the wing in 

 September and October than in June and July.^ Finally, if the 

 larvse live on the vegetative organs of a plant the adult beetles may 

 be expected to visit the flowers. 



Very few species of the Coleoptera have been recorded as antho- 

 philous compared with the total number described. In all of the 

 families, in most of the genera and in very many species in which 

 anthophily occurs this habit has been acquired independently; 

 but in the case of Gnathium and Nemognatha it probably arose 

 before these genera were differentiated. Except in these two genera 

 and to a less extent in Chauliognathus and the Lepturini the modi- 

 fications induced are obscure and indistinct, from which it may be 

 inferred that anthophily among the Coleoptera is of comparatively 

 recent origin. The primitive Coleoptera lived largely upon the 

 ground and were carnivorous, but as they learned to search for 

 their prey on plants and to feed on vegetation anthophily became 

 correspondingly more common. As pollinators of flowers the 

 anthophilous beetles are of little significance. The enormous 

 devastation of the vegetative organs of plants by beetles both in 

 the larval and adult stages, the consumption and waste of the pollen 

 and nectar, the destruction of the petals and other floral members, 

 the absence of hair for holding pollen, the inactivity of many 

 species and their indefinite manner of flight are factors which 

 greatly reduce their value as pollen carriers. Floral structure 

 shows absolutely no response to the visits of beetles, and there is 



1 Banks, N., "At the Ceanothus in Virginia," Ent. News, Vol. 23, p. 102. Cf. also Hopping, 

 R., "Some Notes on Coleoptera Found on Species of Ceanothus," Ent. News, Vol. 10, pp. 162- 

 165. 



* Wickham, H. F., "A List of the Coleoptera from the Southern Shore of Lake Superior," 

 Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci., Iowa, Vol. 6, p. 127. 



'Loew, E., "Der Blumenbesuch der Insekten im Wechsel der Jahrzeit," Hot. Vereins der 

 Provinz Brandenburg, Vol. 47, p. 25. 



