APPENDIX . 469 



"Series Otiorrhynchince apteroe. Alee rudimentarise. Metanotum 

 membraneum. 



" These important characters divide the Otiorrhynchinae in a natural 

 manner, and though they cannot be directly observed without breaking 

 up the specimen, as the elytra are frequently more or less soldered together 

 in the apterous forms, yet it is very easy to distinguish the members of 

 the two groups by external minor characters. In the OtiorrhynchincB 

 apterce there are no prominent shoulders to the elytra, the exposed 

 portion of the scutellum is usually very minute, and scarcely penetrates 

 at all between the exposed parts of the wing-cases : the metasternum 

 is always short, and the part of the mesothoracic episterna left uncovered 

 by the elytra is small or moderate in size ; although this latter point is 

 very variable it is of great assistance in separating the insects of the two 

 groups, and indeed "was made use of by Horn as a means of dividing 

 the family. 



" In the Otiorrhynchince alato* the shoulders of the elytra are distinct 

 and stand out fnore or less laterally, the tip of the scutellum separates 

 the exposedbases of the elytra, the metasternum is either elongate or short, 

 and the uncovered part of the mesothoracic episterna either moderate in 

 size or large." 



The results of Dr. Sharp's work on the Ehynchitidse and Attelabidte 

 have already been referred to (p. 102), and we may be certain that 

 great light will be thrown upon the Rhynchophora generally by his 

 present researches ; as far, however, as our fauna is concerned the 

 Classification adopted in the present volume will be found to be of use 

 for all practical purposes, except, perhaps, in the case of one or two 

 obscure families or genera for which it is hard to find characters at once 

 distinctive and obvious. 



