THE 



TRANSACTIONS 



OF THE V 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



LONDON 



FOR THE YEAR 1880. 



I. Materials for a revisioii of the LampyridEe. By the 

 Rev. H. S. GoRHAM. 



[Read December 5th, 1879, February 4th and March 3rd, 1880.] 



In submitting the descriptions of hitherto uncharacterized 

 beetles of the family of LampyridcR to the Entomological 

 Society, I mil introduce the subject by a few general 

 remarks which I venture to think will not be out of place. 

 The family in question form the second division of the 

 great group Malacodermata of Latreille, or they may be 

 properly regarded as a sub-family or group of secondary 

 importance. For the purpose of this paper I shall treat 

 them as a family, for though they certainly pass very 

 gradually into the Lt/cidce on one side, and the Telepho- 

 rid(B on the other, yet a very little experience will enable 

 the student at once to decide wliether a species really 

 belongs to the LampyridcB or not. The resemblance to 

 the former is rather apparent than real, a true case of 

 mimicry, there being scarcely a pattern in the Lycidce 

 which is not repeated here. With regard to their affinity 

 to the Telephorid(B, Photuris, which makes the nearest 

 approach, is so very natural a genus, and retains so many 

 peculiar characters of the Lampyridce, including their 

 luminosity, in so high a degree that the general characters, 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. 1880. — PART I. (JIARCH.) B 



