26 Introduction 



ADEPHAGA 



As defined by Leconte, the families included are, Cicindelidse, 

 Carabidse, Haliplidse, Amphizoida', Dytiscidse and GjTinidse. Omo- 

 phronida? may be separated from Carabida; as suggested by Kolbe and 

 Lameere and Rhysodidse has been added by many. As indicated above 

 I believe, however, that Rhysodidae is one of the nearly extinct branches 

 of the primitive Coleoptera that originated while they still possessed 

 hind wings with cross-veins, divided first abdominal segment, and pro- 

 pleural suture, characters that are shared by Adephaga. I have expressed 

 by a query the reply of Mr. Schwarz to a direct question as to its posi- 

 tion "We do not even know how to spell its name;" but, in default of 

 a surely better place, I have left them as Leconte did, near the begin- 

 ning of the Clavicorns. 



Two series are indicated in Adephaga as follows: 



Eyes two, soles of tarsi beneath as usual, antennae filiform Caraboidea. 



Eyes four, soles of tarsi lateral ; antenna; auriculate Gyrinoidea. 



The second series consists of one strongly isolated family; the first 

 series may be divided into six families as on p. XXX of Leconte's classi- 

 fication, with Omophronidse separated from Carabidse by the character 

 given on p. 6 "prosternum prolonged and dilated, entirely concealing 

 the mesosternum." The larva of Omophron is aquatic and the family 

 seems intermediate between Carabidse and Haliplidae. There may 

 be still other families incorrectly included with the Carabidse which 

 are an assemblage of somewhat heterogeneous character. While the 

 antennae are usually filiform, three genera have them moniliform; 

 while the larvae are usually compodeaform, there are some exceptions 

 and these are correlated with exceptional adult characters. Their 

 classification has been worked over by Latreille, Bonelli, Dejean, Schaum, 

 Erichson, Schioedte, Lacordaire, Leconte, and owes its present form to 

 G. H. Horn. I am sorry that Lameere finds the last, in which I know 

 the author took great pride, "detestable"; and it certainly is far from 

 according with views based on phylogeny, which would bring Elaphrus 

 nearer to Cicindelidse, and Brachinus, with its pubescent elytra poorly 

 adapted to the body and 8-segmented abdomen, both primitive 

 characters, near the first; with the tribes like Pterostichini and Bem- 

 bidiini, in which the glabrous elytra have developed the internal plica, 

 near the end. The palpi also indicate a highly derivative position for 

 Carabini and Bembidiini; while the Lebiini, by their truncate elytra, 



