﻿[225] 
  

  

  testsM. 
  flit. 
  su<*as>*r? 
  

   ART. 
  XVIII. 
  — 
  Synopsis 
  of 
  Hie 
  Melolonthid.e 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  Slates. 
  s 
  

  

  By 
  John 
  L. 
  Le 
  Conte, 
  M. 
  D. 
  

  

  The 
  MelolonthidjB 
  form 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  Scarabaeidse 
  less 
  distinctly 
  defined 
  

   than 
  any 
  other 
  in 
  that 
  extensive 
  family 
  ; 
  connecting 
  with 
  several 
  others, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  

   be 
  the 
  great 
  central 
  group, 
  and 
  embraces 
  genera 
  of 
  such 
  diverse 
  form 
  and 
  structure, 
  

   as 
  to 
  render 
  the 
  attempts 
  at 
  classification 
  not 
  altogether 
  satisfactory. 
  Erichson 
  was 
  

   the 
  first 
  to 
  attempt 
  a 
  general 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  and 
  Lacordaire, 
  while 
  following 
  

   nearly 
  in 
  his 
  path, 
  has 
  introduced 
  some 
  important 
  changes. 
  It 
  would 
  ill 
  become 
  me, 
  

   having 
  studied 
  only 
  a 
  fauna 
  limited 
  in 
  genera 
  of 
  this 
  type, 
  to 
  pronounce 
  upon 
  the 
  

   value 
  of 
  the 
  affinities 
  thus 
  displayed 
  between 
  genera 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  

   have 
  found 
  great 
  difficulty 
  in 
  placing 
  in 
  the 
  schemes 
  of 
  those 
  authors 
  a 
  new 
  genus, 
  

   which 
  should 
  evidently 
  have 
  place 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  embraced 
  by 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  classification 
  of 
  Burmeister 
  is 
  founded 
  upon 
  entirely 
  different 
  characters, 
  and 
  

   seems 
  at 
  first 
  to 
  give 
  much 
  more 
  natural 
  groups 
  than 
  those 
  formed 
  by 
  Erichson 
  and 
  

   Lacordaire, 
  though 
  the 
  characters 
  used 
  seem 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  distinct 
  or 
  easy 
  of 
  applica- 
  

   tion. 
  The 
  great 
  stumbling 
  point 
  in 
  both 
  systems 
  is 
  however 
  the 
  curious 
  mixture 
  of 
  

   characters 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  allied 
  group 
  Anthobia 
  of 
  Burmeister, 
  part 
  of 
  which 
  forms 
  

   Erichson's 
  family 
  Glaphyridie, 
  enrolled 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  series 
  of 
  Scarabagi 
  laparosticti. 
  . 
  

   Burmeister 
  having 
  examined 
  (Lamell. 
  2, 
  2d, 
  467) 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  abdominal 
  stig- 
  

   mata 
  in 
  the 
  genera 
  of 
  Erichson's 
  Glaphyridse, 
  found 
  great 
  variations 
  between 
  the 
  

   individual 
  genera, 
  some 
  having 
  them 
  as 
  in 
  Melolonthidas, 
  while 
  in 
  none 
  had 
  they 
  

   exactly 
  the 
  situation 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  groups 
  of 
  Laparosticti. 
  

   From 
  these 
  facts 
  he 
  draws 
  the 
  inference 
  that 
  the 
  family 
  Anthobia 
  as 
  established 
  by 
  

   him 
  is 
  a 
  natural 
  one, 
  osculant 
  between 
  the 
  Phyllophaga 
  (Melolonthidae 
  and 
  Rutelidaa 
  

   of 
  Erichson) 
  and 
  Melitophila 
  (Cetoniadae 
  of 
  Erichson), 
  entirely 
  denying 
  the 
  relation- 
  

   ship 
  with 
  the 
  Laparosticti. 
  

  

  While 
  admitting 
  the 
  probable 
  justice 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  result, 
  although 
  Erichson 
  notes 
  

   the 
  transition 
  from 
  Phamognatha 
  to 
  Hybosorus, 
  -I 
  must 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  facts 
  seem 
  to 
  me 
  

   to 
  bear 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  interpretation. 
  Looking 
  for 
  example 
  at 
  the 
  four 
  primary 
  

   groups 
  into 
  which 
  Erichson 
  divides 
  the 
  Scarabaai 
  pleurosticti, 
  the 
  reader 
  will 
  see 
  that 
  

   the 
  Melolonthidaj 
  have 
  the 
  posterior 
  stigmata 
  diverging 
  but 
  feebly, 
  while 
  the 
  three 
  

   others 
  have 
  them 
  diverging 
  strongly. 
  We 
  will 
  afterwards 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  

  

  [Journal 
  of 
  tho 
  Academy 
  of 
  Natural 
  Sciences 
  of 
  Philadelphia, 
  2d 
  series, 
  vol. 
  iii 
  , 
  November, 
  1856 
  ] 
  

  

  