﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  issued 
  sM^^vvL 
  sj'l^i 
  ^y 
  'A' 
  

  

  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION 
  

  

  U. 
  S. 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Vol.103 
  Washington 
  : 
  1953 
  No. 
  3321 
  

  

  A 
  REVIEW 
  OF 
  THE 
  BEETLE 
  FAMILY 
  CEPHALOIDAE 
  

  

  By 
  Ross 
  H. 
  Arnett, 
  Jr.^ 
  

  

  The 
  family 
  Cephaloidae 
  consists 
  of 
  only 
  one 
  genus, 
  Cephaloon 
  

   Newman, 
  1838, 
  with 
  eight 
  known 
  species 
  that 
  are 
  locally 
  rather 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  but 
  are 
  known 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  Eastern 
  United 
  States, 
  Western 
  

   United 
  States, 
  Western 
  Canada, 
  Japan, 
  and 
  Amur. 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  

   are 
  closely 
  related 
  and 
  quite 
  variable 
  in 
  color. 
  Useful 
  separation 
  

   characters 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  antennae 
  and 
  various 
  male 
  structures. 
  

   As 
  yet 
  Httle 
  is 
  known 
  concerning 
  the 
  habits 
  and 
  life 
  histories 
  of 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  this 
  group. 
  All 
  known 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  family 
  are 
  represented 
  

   in 
  the 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  After 
  study 
  of 
  some 
  material 
  from 
  the 
  Ussuri 
  River 
  Valley 
  recently 
  

   sent 
  to 
  me 
  for 
  determination, 
  it 
  seems 
  desirable 
  to 
  reconsider 
  the 
  

   taxonomy, 
  affinities, 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  this 
  group. 
  The 
  ranking 
  of 
  

   this 
  small 
  assemblage 
  of 
  species 
  as 
  a 
  family 
  on 
  equal 
  ground 
  with 
  the 
  

   rest 
  of 
  the 
  families 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  is 
  still 
  somewhat 
  doubtful 
  in 
  my 
  mind. 
  

   I 
  believe 
  the 
  placing 
  of 
  the 
  Cephaloidae 
  as 
  a 
  satellite 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   family 
  Tenebrionidae 
  is 
  firmly 
  established, 
  but 
  my 
  studies 
  in 
  the 
  

   Tenebrionoidea 
  have 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  revealed, 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  our 
  present 
  

   ranking 
  and 
  evaluation 
  of 
  what 
  defines 
  a 
  family, 
  any 
  group 
  with 
  which 
  

   the 
  genus 
  Cephaloon 
  can 
  be 
  incorporated; 
  hence, 
  I 
  retain 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  family. 
  

  

  I 
  wish 
  to 
  thank 
  Mr. 
  Hugh 
  B. 
  Leech 
  and 
  Dr. 
  E. 
  C. 
  Van 
  Dyke, 
  both 
  

   of 
  the 
  California 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  Hans 
  Klapperich 
  of 
  

   Bonn, 
  Germany, 
  for 
  the 
  loan 
  of 
  several 
  specimens 
  used 
  in 
  this 
  study. 
  

  

  ' 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology 
  and 
  Plant 
  Quarantine: 
  U. 
  S. 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture. 
  

  

  232728—63 
  155 
  

  

  