256 Mr. M. Bun-— Notes on the Forficulaiia. 



Westwood (3) erected the genus Apterygtda in 1839 for 

 those species of Forjicida which had rudimentary wings, i. e. 

 jiedesins, Bon., and decipiens, Gene, which fell into Section b, 

 Division II. of G^n^'s (2) arrangement of the genus. Now 

 Scudder is quite correct in saying that decipiens cannot be 

 generically separated from auricularia, wliich is the type of 

 Forficula^ but pedestris, Bon. { = albipennis, Meg.), can, and 

 must ; albipennis is the type of Apterygida. It is true 

 that Westwood established the genus upon the comparative 

 development of the wings, which in For ficul aria and Oitho- 

 ptera generally is now a notoriously variable and untrust- 

 worthy character ; but the shape of the forceps quite justifies 

 the separation of albipennis from Forjicida^ and as tliere was 

 a genus to hand, of which it was the type, de Bormans's (7) 

 SphingoJabis, 1884, is unnecessary. 



Of this new genus, which corresponds with Dohrn's (4) 

 Section I. of Forjicida, the type is furcifera, Borm. ; but albi- 

 2-iennis also falls into Section J. of Dohrn's Forjicula, with the 

 type alb ipennis] the two genera, then, coincide exactly, and 

 Apterygida, being the earliest, must stand. The name is 

 unfortunate, but its significance must be forgotten, for it is 

 owing to the forceps, and not to tlie wings, as originally 

 intended, that it holds good. Sphingolabis may be retained 

 for those species which have complete wings or those which 

 liave a considerable pygidium, as a subgenus. I am aware 

 that M. de Bormans retains Sphingolabis, for lie holds that 

 Apterygida cannot stand, as erected upon insufficient 

 characters. 



Apterygida albipennis (Meg.) and tlie closely allied 

 A. arachidis (Yers.) were included by Brunner (6) in Cheli- 

 dura, Latr. ; but this genus must be reserved for those large 

 and heavy flightless forms in which the abdomen is somewhat 

 dilated and the forceps are strong and very stout. 



The genera in questiou must therefore stand as follows : — 



Forjicula, L. (1), 1758. Type auricularia, L. 



Apterygida, Westw. (3), 1839. Type albipejinis, Meg. 



[ISphingoIabis, Borm. (7), 1884, as subgenus. Type 

 JurciJ'era.) 



Chelidura, Latr., 1825. Type ajytera, Charp. 



IVorls quoted above. 



(1) 1758. LiNN.^us. — 'Systoma Natura;,' ed. x. i. 423. 



(2) 1832. Geni6. — 'tSaggio di una Monogratia delleForficule indigene.' 



Padova. (Ann. delle Scieuze del Keguo Lumbardo- 

 Veneto, t. ii. p. 216.) 



