56 ENTOMOLOGICAI. NEWS. [Feb./lQ 



Doings of Societies. 



Entomological Section, Academy of Natural Sciences of 

 Philadelphia. 



Meeting of September 26th, 1918, Director Philip Laurent presiding; 

 eleven persons present. 



Orthoptera. — Mr. Rehn made a few remarks on the discovery of 

 a new Asiatic species of a hitherto exclusively North American genus 

 of Decticinae (Tettigoniidae), the comments illustrated by a series of 

 all the known species of the genus. 



Lepidoptera. — Dr. Skinner reported that he secured a good col- 

 lection of Argynnis montiims in the White Mountains this summer. 

 Mr. Baylis exhibited a specimen of Catocala herodias, captured at 

 Lakehurst, New Jersey, this summer, also several specimens of 

 Chlorippc clyton bred from larvae taken along the Perkiomen Creek 

 near Philadelphia. — E. T. Cresson, Jr., Recorder. 



American Entomological Society. 



Meeting of April 25, 1918, in the hall of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia. Twelve persons present including Dr. 

 Edwin C. Van Dyke, of the Pacific Coast Entomological Society, 

 visitor. Dr. Henry Skinner presided. 



Coleoptera. — Dr. Van Dyke made an interesting communication 

 on the general character, habits, distribution, relationship and taxonomic 

 history of the family Elateridae. He discussed and described some 

 of the characters upon which present students are basing their classi- 

 fication in correlation with larval characters, showing some of the 

 faults of the older system. He called attention to specialized charac- 

 ters of protection and adaptation, also to others which show an affinity 

 to, or parallelism with, the Lampyridae. He then took up some of 

 the more important genera, giving general characteristics and distri- 

 bution, leading into more detailed discussions of those of North 

 America. He divided our fauna into genera of northern, southern, 

 and of isolated origins, and explained the reason for the relationships 

 of some widely separated species. The family is considered very 

 primitive, which, to some extent, accounts for their similarity in 

 general habitus. The work of Schwarz in the Genera Insectoruui was 

 severely criticized as not being of the constructive character as that of 

 Leconte, Horn and Candeze. He commended the work of Hyslop in 

 his investigations into the characters of the larvae. The speaker made 

 special mention of the genus Cardiophorus and discussed in some 

 details some of its peculiar characters. In answer to questions arising 

 in the discussion following his communication, Dr. Van Dyke took 

 up in more detail the origin and general distribution of the coleoptera 



