220 NATURAL ARRANGEMENT OF INSECTS. 



just mentioned, the Trichius fasciatus does not appear 

 to have such a southerly range at least, it was never 

 seen by us, either in Sicily or Greece, during a residence 

 of near seven years in different parts of those countries. 

 In regard to the geographic distribution of this group, 

 it seems confined to the Old World, and within zones 

 of 25 breadth on each side the tropics. Mr. MacLeay 

 further adds, that the membranaceous process of the 

 maxillae, the exserted labrurn, and subquadrate clypeus, 

 will serve to distinguish them easily from the Melolon- 

 thidce, with which they have a most obvious connection. 



(192.) The genera of this family are very few in 

 number, and of which we have nothing further to record 

 beyond what we have observed above. We will merely 

 remark, that here the length of the legs furnishes the 

 features which their thickness supplied in the Rutilina; 

 and which, in the Megasomince, is replaced by the tu- 

 berculated and cornuted head and thorax, and in the 

 Melolonthidce by the enlarged developement of the male 

 antennas ; and this characteristic in the Cetoniidce presents 

 itself in the large developement of the mesothoracic 

 epimera. Before we quit the thalerophagous circle, we 

 will take a retrospective glance at the relative proportions 

 of the genera and species contained in each. The Me- 

 lolonthidce stand pre-eminently the first; for their num- 

 bers are more than double those of either of the other 

 families, and more than equal to the whole combined. 

 Next follow the Cetoniidce, in which there is a greater 

 uniformity of general structure ; but Cetonia itself is the 

 most numerous genus of the circle. The Rutilince fol- 

 low the last in the proportions of form, but the Glaphy- 

 ridce stand very low below either ; and the relative pro- 

 portions of species, in round numbers, are, Melolonthidce, 

 26; Cetoniidce, 14; Rutilince, 6; and Glaphyridce, 1. 

 [W. E. Sh.] 



(193.) Such are the characters we have selected for 

 the five sub- families of the Cetoniadce, or those beetles 

 (Petalocera Thaler ophagaMacL.) which feed upon living 

 vegetables. We shall now show in what manner these 



