624 Mr. D. Sharp and Mr. F. Muir on the Comparative 



elongate (to a remarkable extent), and the lateral lobes 

 diminished. The Telephoridae {Bhag. limbata) exhibit a 

 remarkable specialisation in the very bulbous form of the 

 median lobe, but the New Guinea Chauliognathus'i (fig.139) 

 is much less remarkable, and departs to a comparatively 

 slight extent from Lampijris. MaWdnus and Malthodes 

 appear to be modifications of the Telephorid plan. 



MALTHININI TELEPHORIDAE LAMPYRIDAE 



LYCIDAE 



MELYRIDAE 



MALACHUNI 



'DRILU5 



AFFINITIES OF SOME OF THE 

 MALACODERMID FAMILIES 



As regards " Melyridae " we fail to connect them satis- 

 factorily with the Malacoderms, but as we cannot assign 

 them any other place in a system we treat them here. In 

 addition to this we may remark that the family will very 

 likely have to be sundered in two or more. Malachius, 

 however, may prove to be a form annectant to the highly 

 specialised Astylus (Melyridae proper) and the aberrant 

 Balanophorus. As regards the sac, the lower forms of the 

 Malacoderms have it but little specialised, but in higher 

 forms (those allied to Telepliorus and the higher kinds of 

 Lycidae) this structure becomes complex, as it is in all 

 the Melyridae we have examined. Phloeopliilus cannot be 

 admitted to either the Malacoderms or the Melyrids till 

 annectant forms are brought to light. 



(6) Tenebrionoidea. 



Under this name we can associate at present only a 

 few families, because we are of the opinion that several 



