RHYNCHOPHOIU, 107 



changing the names, and rendering the entomological literature of the 

 last 80 years so far as relates to these insects useless, or worse than 

 useless, some hundreds of synonyms being created hy this apparently 

 simple change. The 100 species at present called Apoderus are each 

 and all to become Atteldbus ; the 100 species of Attelabus are each and 

 all to become Cyphu* ; and the thirty species of CypTius are to become 

 Neocyphus Bedel. In addition to this the numerous genera and sub- 

 genera of Apodei-us and Attelabus described by Jekel will become a 

 means of rendering the confusion more confounded ; " after a few more 

 remarks Dr. Sharp adds, " I reject the change proposed by Bedel as 

 being a source of the greatest confusion, and as offering no advantage 

 whatever to compensate for this." 



In classifying the various families it appears more satisfactory to 

 adopt the character taken from the formation of the maxillary palpi 

 (Bedel, 1. c. p. 3) than to lay too much stress upon the presence or 

 absence of a rostrum, as in certain of the Platyrrhinidae the rostrum is as 

 little developed as in the Scolytidae ; the character may be objected to as 

 not being very evident, but it is easy to dissect out the mouth parts from 

 the apex of the rostrum with a fine needle ground to an edge, in any of 

 the Curculionidae ; it must, however, be remembered that we know very 

 little at present regarding the exotic allies of the Rhinomaceridae, and that 

 intermediate forms leading from Rhinomaeer (which is one of the most 

 interesting of the Ehynchophora) up to the Ehynchitidae may very 

 likely be discovered. 



In the present state of our knowledge and as far as the British fauna 

 is concerned, the division of the families adopted by Bedel (1. c. p. 3) is 

 perhaps as good as any that has been suggested ; the characters are in 

 some measure the same as Thomson's, but the latter author lays more 

 stress on the relative length and mobility of the ventral segments ; the 

 Platypodidae are, however, best regarded as a section of the Scolytidae ; 

 later on in his work (p. 315) Bedel adopts this arrangement; by several 

 authors the Bruchidae are included under the Rhynchophora, but their 

 position has been before discussed (Vol. iv. p. 257). 



I. Maxillary palpi resembling those of the majority of the 



Coleoptera, not rigid ; labrnm distinct ; antennae straight. 

 i. Anterior coxae globose, slightly exserted ; pygidium 



bare PiATTBRHixiDi. 



ii. Anterior coxae conical ; pygidium covered RHIKOIIACEBIDJC. 



II. Maxillary palpi rigid, short and conical, tapering to a 

 point ; maxillae very broad ; labrnm as a rule indistinct.* 



i. Rostram always distinct, more or less elongate ; legs not 

 fossorial ; anterior tibiae (in our species) not denticulate 

 externally CuKCTLiONiDi. 



ii. ttostrum absent or rudimentary ; legs fossorial ; anterior 



tibiae more or less strongly denticulate externally . . . SCOLYTID.H. 



* Bedel .-ays of this section " labmin very rarely distinct, and in that case the legs 

 fosoorial "; in Attelabus, however, the question of the labrum seems doubtful. 



