14 Mr. F. P. Pascoe's Descriptions of Nexo Genera 



Finally, among the Phytophaga, Coptocycla was the most con- 

 spicuous genus, the Australian Paropsla not being represented. 



This is not the place to enter into any details not connected with 

 Entomology, but I cannot avoid expressing my conviction that 

 the debateable ground between the Indian and Australian Faunas 

 will be the northern or tropical portion of Australia itself. New 

 Guinea belonging zoologically to the Indian Archipelago, to which 

 it is closely connected through the Amboynas and the islands on 

 its western coast ; its almost equatorial position, too, favouring the 

 probability of its productions being more analogous to those of 

 the torrid zone than to those of the temperate regions of Australia. 

 In accordance with this view we should expect to find many 

 Indian forms in Northern Australia, and to some extent we already 

 know this to be the case. 



Amongst the many new species described in the present Part, I 

 have had very reluctantly to propose several new genera, but in 

 accordance with what appears to be the modern view of consider- 

 ing every primary group of species a genus, this was unavoidable. 

 The characters upon which they are founded may be often con- 

 sidered very slight, but putting aside the fact that many of the 

 specimens were unique, or from their rarity too valuable to be 

 injured by dissection, it still appears to me that any attempt to 

 assume a monographic completeness at present is premature in the 

 face of a constant succession of new species. \N ithout dwelling 

 on this point, except to suggest whether, after all, the importance 

 of generic characters is not somewhat overrated, considering the 

 various modifications to which they are subject, and which in 

 many cases deprive them of all force, it is evident from the 

 vast accumulation of undescribed species in our collections that if 

 they are ever to receive names (in our time at least), and without 

 which no progress, so far as they are concerned, can be made, we 

 must be satisfied to see them accompanied by comparatively slight 

 descriptions ; but unless we consider minute analyses of individual 

 forms to be the Alpha and Omega of Entomology, this is not much 

 to be regretted? Long descriptions ^ve practically an evil, how- 

 ever much we may admire the ability of the describer. 



Mallodon fguratum. 



M. piceus ; prothorace lato, depresso, narginibus crenatis, 

 disco minutissime punctato, figura bi-triangulari polita medio, 

 fasciaque basin versus, exceptis ; scutello punctato, mar- 



