1866.] MR. F. P. PASCOE ON THE COLEOPTERA OF.PENANG. 223 



Guinea, and this without counting many others, such as Cereopsius, 

 Astathes, Glenea, Ceresium, &c, which, although almost purely 

 Malayan, dip into the faunas of other regions, but not into the Au- 

 stralian. The eight genera are Ostedes, Eoporis, Anancylus, Cacia*, 

 Clyzomedus, Serixia, Xyaste, and Merionceda. Of the genera com- 

 mon to almost all parts of the world there are five — Monochamus, 

 Clytus, Stromatium, Purpuric enus, and Cerambyx. Thus seventy- 

 two genera are exclusively Malayan. But comparing this with the 

 Australian list we find that out of 154 genera, 124 are exclusively 

 Australianf. It is perhaps scarcely necessary to observe that these 

 statements will doubtless, with the progress of discovery, have to be 

 modified. New Zealand is, I think, like Madagascar, to be regarded 

 as a " satellite " region ; and therefore I have omitted taking it into 

 consideration in connexion with Australia. 



In studying the geographical distribution of the Longicornia, it 

 must not be forgotten that the areas, into which the earth's surface 

 may be divided in relation to its organic productions, will not hold 

 good for all classes, or even in some cases for all orders. Certain 

 it is that, so far as the Coleoptera are concerned, the Malayan region, 

 with its centre in Borneo, finds its south-eastern limit in New Guinea, 

 — Australia constituting a very distinct and remarkable region of its 

 own, and, so far as we know, not even shading off, as might have 

 been expected, into a transition province on one side or the other of 

 Torres Straits. To the north the Philippines, the southernmost 

 part of China, and Burmah would be its northern boundaries ; the 

 two latter probably should only be considered transition countries, 

 since their commoner species are largely mixed with European forms. 

 The same may be said of India, which, even so far south as the 

 Neilgherries, has but a comparatively small proportion to remind us 

 of a tropical beetle-fauna. Even in Ceylon, European genera are 

 dominant J. Regarding, therefore, these also as transition provinces 

 from Malayan to European types, we find the only countries on the 

 mainland of Asia belonging to the Malayan beetle-region are Pegu, 

 Siam, Annam, and the peninsula of Malacca. 



As to the classification adopted, we consider the Longicornia a 

 suborder embracing the three families Lamiidoe, Cerambycidce, and 

 Prionidce, each of these comprising numerous subfamilies ; from the 

 subfamilies we pass at once to the genera. With many naturalists 

 I believe the idea still remains that every genus must have certain 

 definite structural peculiarities, and they appear to expect that 

 broadly dividing lines shall run between them. Any confession that 

 no absolute or primary characters exist, or that they are only secon- 



* Cacia latifascia, White, from North China, is a very doubtful member of this 

 genus. 



t A synonymic list of the Lougicorns of Australia will shortly be published by 

 the Linnean Society. 



J In Sir J. E. Tennent's work on ' Ceylon,' 358 genera of Coleoptera are enu- 

 merated ; of these 184, or rather more than one-half, are European. With regard 

 to Lepidoptera, to the diurnal at least, India belongs to the Malayan region ; while 

 even in the valleys of the Himalayas the Homoptera are of the most decidedly 

 tropical forms. 



