26^ THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



and to recognize it as a distinct group in itself.* This group or 

 family-series — the Palpicornia — ^he places between the Staphyh- 

 noidea and the Diversicornia. The larvae of many of the genera 

 possess anal cerci, and from this he concludes that the group 

 cannot be derived from any other, even the most primitive forms, 

 existing amongst the Diversicornia; on the other hand, the 

 imagines have the Cantharoidean type of wing-venation, hence 

 the group cannot be merged in the Staphylinoidea. 



Lameere's Classification (1903;. 



In this also the Coleoptera are divided into two suborders — 

 the Adephaga and the Polyphaga. 



The Adephaga are subdivided into two groups : the Cupedi- 

 formia and the Carabiformia. 



The Polyphaga are at first subdivided into two main sections 

 or branches — the Cantharidiformia and the Staphyliniformia — 

 corresponding with two of the three suborders of his earlier 

 classification. 



The Cantharidiformia are, as in that classification, further 

 subdivided into ten groups or family-series, seven of which, 

 taken together, are equivalent to Ganglbauer's single series — the 

 Diversicornia. The Khynchophora are not recognized as a 

 separate family-series, but, as derivative from the Phytophaga, 

 are merged in that series. 



This classification is not so different from Ganglbauer's as it 

 may at first sight appear. The division of the Polyphaga into 

 two main branches, although not accepted by Ganglbauer in his 

 classification, is quite in accordance with his views. For he 

 admits of a Protostaphylinideon, from which the Staphylinoidea 

 are derived ; and he admits also of a Protocantharideon, from 

 which directly, he thinks, each of the other five groups of the 

 Polyphaga, with the exception of the Rhynchophora, may be 

 derived. And since he agrees with Lameere that the Pihyncho- 

 phora are derived from the Phytophaga, he ought to have 

 included both in one group as Lameere has done, or else found 

 some other means of expressing this view in the classification. 

 I am myself not convinced that the Rhynchophora are derived 

 directly from the Phytophaga, nor do I think they are more 

 distinct from the Chrysomelidae than are the Longicorns. Pro- 

 bably all three have been derived independently from the same 

 or very closely related ancestors ; and I would suggest therefore 

 the retention of the name Tetramera for the single large series, 

 including the three minor groups : Longicornia, Phytophaga (in 

 the old sense), and Rhynchophora. 



(To be continued.) 

 ■■'• 'Kafer von Mitteleuropa,' Bd. iv. p. 161 (1904). 



