398 Mr. T. V. Wollaston on the Coleoptera of St. Helena. 



two years ago must now be increased to 59 ; and it will be 

 interesting to notice whether the relative proportions of the 

 twelve great sections under which the Coleoptera are usually 

 supposed to be classified have, in consequence, been much 

 disturbed. Tabulated as before, the divisions will accordingly 

 arrange themselves thus : — 



Rhyncliophora 31 



Cordylocerata {i. e. Lamellicorns &c.) 6 



Geodephaga 5 



Brachelytra 4 



Heteromera 3 



Phytophaga 3 



Pseudotrimera 3 



Philhydrida 2 



Necrophaga 1 



Priocerata 1 



Hydradcphaga 



Eucerata 



59 



Now, looking at this synoptical enumeration, the first fact 

 that strikes us is the still greater preponderance, numerically, 

 than even before, of the Uhyncliopliora over every other sec- 

 tion. Indeed the more we investigate the Coleopterous fauna 

 of St. Helena, the more pronounced appears the tendency to 

 this strange and undue development of certain anomalous 

 types of the Curculionids and Anthrihidce. And I may add 

 that this is in perfect accordance with my original conjecture, 

 made now more 'than ten years ago, that the exponents of 

 those particular groups would be found eventually (judging 

 from the remarkable difference in configuration of the very 

 few which had then been brought to light) to be the most 

 numerous and the most characteristic in the whole fauna of 

 the island. 



After these few remarks, I will proceed to place on record 

 the 21 additions to the list, and will then give an emended 

 systematic enumeration of the 95 species which constitute the 

 Coleopterous fauna of St. Helena as hitherto ascertained f. 



t As ill my former paper, I shall place an asterisk (*) against all those 

 species (both in the enumeration itself and in the systematic catalogue) 

 which I should look upon as unquestionably naturalized — whether through 

 the medium of commerce or through the various other methods of acci- 

 dental dissemination which are so readily traceable throughout the greater 

 portion of the civilized world. 



