6 Introduction 



other by transitional forms, that LameUicomia deserve more exalted 

 rank and Rhynchophora less, that Phytophaga and Rhynchophora are 

 closely related and should not be separated by Heteromera, and that 

 Adephaga are more entitled to sub-ordinal rank than any other division. 

 While these objections may all be vaUd, no one has yet offered a better 

 system in the form of a complete classification. The improvements 

 suggested and substantially approved include two series: 



Palpicornia for Hydrophilid£e, eto., with palpi longer than antenna'. 

 Staphylinoidea for a series of families mostly with short elytra and with three or more 

 dorsal abdominal segments corneous. 



Except for a change in the position of the Phalacridse, these series do 

 not alter materially the sequence of families as arranged by Leconte, 

 they only supply names for groups of families in his series Clavicornia. 

 Other series that have been proposed have not met with such substantial 

 approval and will be discussed later. Clear cut definitions for them 

 are more or less difficult to find. 



Sharp System 



Dr. Sharp's system ^ was published 16 years after Leconte's and 

 much that had been developed in the interval, especially in larval studies 

 is admirably treated and illustrated by him. His gi-eat knowledge of 

 the Coleoptera of the whole world and his knowledge of the entire class 

 of Insecta make his opinions worthy of the highest respect. His classifi- 

 cation is : 



Lamellicornia — o-jointed tarsi — antennse lamellate. 



Adephaga — 5-jointed tarsi — maxillae with outer lobe palpiform. 



PoLYMORPHA — tarsi variable — antennae serrate or clavate. 



Heteromera — tarsi heteromerous. 



Phytophaga — tarsi 4-jointed. 



Rhynchophora — head with a beak, gular suture single, palpi usually not evident. 



Here the isolation of the Lamellicornia is better shown, the Clavi- 

 cornia and Serricornia are consolidated into a series embracing in Sharp's 

 words "a large number of forms still unclassified," though "a large part 

 of them belong to four great famiUes (Staphylinidse, Buprestidae, Elateri- 

 dse, Malacodermidae) which are easily recognizable." Such was the 

 state of the classification in 1909 (or 1899, if the date of the first edition 

 is used) with tarsal characters still prominent. 



Neither Leconte's nor Sharp's classification professes to be phylo- 



' Cambridge Natural History, VI, 1909. Insects, by David Sharp, M. A., M. B., F. R. S. 



