Piytophaga. | PHYTOPHAGA. 257 
group of the Coleoptera, and the remainder of the Phytophaga, or 
Phytophaga proper, fall fairly naturally into four groups, which are 
however, as before remarked, hard to differentiate by fixed characters ; 
the Bruchidew may be distinguished from all the other members of the 
series by having the mentum supported by a peduncle, and the head 
produced into a very short flat rostrum, and omitting this family as 
somewhat provisionally placed in its present position, we may separate the 
remaining divisions as follows :— 
I. Front not or only slightly inflexed ; mouth anterior. 
i. Head constricted into a neck behind eyes; thorax with 
the sides not margined, mayen narrower than elytra ; 
form elongate . . . EvUpopA, 
ii. Head not constricted into a neck behind eyes ; ‘thorax 
with the sides nearly always margined, usually as broad 
as elytra; abdomen with the two last segments connate ; 
an cylindrical or short cylindrical . . . CAMPTOSOMATA. 
Head without or with a very short neck ; ‘thorax with 
"the sides nearly always margined, usually as broad as 
elytra; abdomen with the segments free; form usually 
ovate or subglobose, very rarely elongate-oblong . . . Cycmrica. 
II. Front strongly inflexed; mouth inferior . . . . . . CRYPTOSTOMATA. 
In dealing with the Phytophaga, I have made considerable use of the 
work of Herr Weise in the Naturgesichte der Insecten Deutschlands, 
vol. vi., and beg here to express the obligations that I am under to his 
writings on the group. 
BRUCHIDA. 
(Mylalride, Heyden, Reitter, and Weise, Cat. p. 179.) 
The position of this family has given rise to much dispute ; by most 
authors it has been placed either in or near to the Rhynchophora, in 
close proximity to the Anthribide ; thus Fabricius places it between 
Hylesinus and Anthribus, Gyllenhal between Anthribus and Attelabus 
(A poderus), while Thomson assigns it a position at the commencement 
of his series Rhynchophori, immediately succeeding the Hetecromera ; 
externally the members of the tribe certainly appear to be closely allied 
to the Anthribide, but their real affinities appear to be rather towards 
the Phytophaga; Dr. Horn defines the Bruchide as “ Chrysomelide 
with the submentum distinctly pedunculate ” (Classification of the 
Coleoptera of North America, p. 357); and points out how Lacordaire 
(Genera, vil. p. 598), while following the usual arrangement, admits 
that the characters are rather those of the Chrysomelide, and that the 
two families are so closely related that he is unable sharply to separate 
them; M. Bedel (Faune des Col¢optéres du bassin de la Seine, Rhyncho- 
phora, p. 4), in dealing with the Urodontide, says, “This little group 
forms a transition between the Rhynchophora and the Phytophaga by its 
VOL. IV. S 
