372 Mr. W. F. Kirby— Notes on Phasmidae 



XLIT. — Notes on Phasmidae in the Collection of the British 

 Museum [Natural History), South Kensington, with Descrip- 

 tions of new Species. — No. I. By W. F. Kirby, F.L.S., 

 F.E.S. 



The Phasmidae have been less studied than any other family 

 of Orthoptera, and the classification is still in a rather 

 unsatisfactory state. Many genera are at present somewhat 

 isolated, owing probably to the incompleteness of our collec- 

 tions, and many others include discordant sections which 

 require new names. Nor do we appear to possess sufficient 

 material to enable us to judge of the real value of even 

 such important characters for defining natural groups as the 

 length and structure of the antennae and of the median cell, 

 and the presence or absence of the areole at the end of the 

 tibiae beneath. I would suggest that the shape of the median 

 segment may perhaps be found to be of great importance, 

 especially whether it is pointed, rounded, or truncated in front. 

 As I find myself unable to adopt Brunner von WattenwyPs 

 arrangement of 1893 in its entirety, I have drafted out the 

 following provisionalarrangementof subfamilies: — 1. Loncho- 

 dinse ; 2. Bacteriinae ; 3. Bacillinae (including Bacillidae and 

 ( 'litumnidae of Brunner) ; 4. Diaphomerinae ; 5. Bacteriinae; 

 G. Phryganistriinae ; 7. Palophinae; 8. Necrosciinae ; 9. Acro- 

 phyllinae; 10. Eurycanthinae; 11. Heteropteryginae ; 12. Ani- 

 somorphinae; 13. Prisopinae; 14. Pseudophasminae; 15. Aschi- 

 phasminae; 16. Phylliinae. 



Subfam. I. Loncrodinje. 



Lonchodidce, Brunner (pt.). 



Includes Old-World species with long antennae and a short 

 median segment. Most of the genera are apterous, but one 

 or two (Oxyartes, Stal, for instance) have rudimentary wings. 



Genus St^elonchodes, Kirb., n. n. 

 Lonchodes, pt., Gray (nee sect, typ.) ; Stal (restr.). 



Type, L. geniculates, Gray. 



1 his is Gray's second species, but his own description 

 actually contradicts the characters of the genus Lonchodes ; 

 yet ISlal has selected it as the type, an utterly unwarrantable 

 action. A considerable number of species may be tempo- 

 rarily included in Stoslonchodes^ but the genus will probably 

 be soon subdivided. 



