REVISION OF THE 



NP^W ZEALAND BYRRHIDAE, 



WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW SPECIES. 

 By Majoe T. Buoun, P.E S. 



INTRODUCTION. 



There were several reasons for undertaking this task, one being the 

 scattered nature of the literature on the subject. 



The first description appeared in vol. ii of the great German work. 



' Voyage of the ' Novara,' ' 1867, and was followed bv that of Pascoe's 

 Morychus coruscans in the Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist, for September, 1875. 

 Since then many more have been published in different volumes of the 

 latter work, and in separate parts of the Man. N.Z. Coleopt., so that a 

 colonial entomologist who wished to identify his captures — perhaps a dozen 



—probably less, as they are generally rare — would have to procure just as 

 many separate volumes, or parts, as the number of species in his collection. 

 After this necessary expense had been incurred, he would not be long in 

 coming to the conclusion that the numerous species assigned to Morychus 

 or Pedilophorus within the last thirty years are not by any means easily 

 recognised by descriptions alone. 



When studying the genera of this family, he would have to consult 

 Lxordaire's Hist, des Ins. Coleopt., in Latin and French. There he would 

 see Pedilophorus treated as a synonym of Morychus ; but on referring to 

 the " Catalogus Coleopterorum " of Gemminger and Harald, the standard 

 work, which was published about fourteen years later than Lacordaire's, 

 it would be found that the process had been reversed. In many cases it 

 would be found necessary to dissect some of his rare specimens in order 

 to ascertain whether the details of structure corresponded with their 

 European descriptions. 



In this memoir, instead of recapitulating these generic diagnoses in 

 detail, certain salient characteristics that arc comparatively easily seen 

 are given as the characters of each genus represented in New Zealand ; 

 and, as another aid to identification, Mr. A. Waterworth, of Northcote, 



