366 MR. G. R, CROTCH ON AZOREAN COLEOPTERA. [Mar. 28, 



Elasti'us dolosus, which has congeners only in Madagascar, but in 

 external form simulates some Cape Elaters so as to be undistin- 

 guishable except by a close examination. This Madagascar con- 

 nexion is found also in the Cape de Verde Islands, which have two 

 or three species in common with it. 



To sum up these affinities numerically, we find that of the 213 

 species 168 are European, 18 Atlantic, and 23 pecuhar — or that 

 168 are common to Europe, 140 to Madeira, and 114 to the Cana- 

 ries. The proportions of the families vary a little from those observed 



in Madeira and the Canaries. 



Azores. Mad. et Can. 



Brachelytra 48 215 



Necrophaga 38 219 



Ilhynchophora 27 282 



Geodephaga 2/ 188 



Priocerata 16 135 



Cordylocerata 16 64 



Heteromera 15 1/2 



Philhydrida . 8 29 



Pseudotrimera 7 30 



Eucerata 5 22 



Phytophaga 3 64 



The most notable displacements here are the very great absence 

 of Vhytoi^haga, the lowering of the standard of Rliynchophora, 

 always much the largest group in the other islands, and the singu- 

 lar paucity of Heteromera. The large development of Necrophaga 

 and Brachelytra is due to their containing many introduced species. 

 All this seems to show that, on the hypotliesis of a connected con- 

 tinent, the fauna of the Azores was drawn from a much more north- 

 ern source than that of the other islands. This is particularly 

 evinced by the absence of Heteromera. The paucity of water-beetles, 

 notwithstanding their rainy condition, is less easily accounted for ; 

 but the same occurs in Madeira, where previously to the destruction 

 of the forests there must have been water enough, and yet even the 

 universal Gyrinus dejeani does not occur there. A more restrained 

 type of fauna is indicated by the solitary representatives of the 

 Atlantic genera (Tarphius &c.), which further south develope nu- 

 merous forms in each island ; it may, indeed, have been that the 

 Azores formed almost the western boundary of land in this direction. 



This brief sketch will show how full of interest the subject is, and 

 how much yet remains to be done even in the groups apparently 

 most explored. I shall now enumerate in order the 213 species at 

 present known as inhabitants of these islands, and describe those 

 which api)ear to be new, reproducing the novelties already described 

 by MM. Drouet and Morelct. 



1. Calosoma AzoRicuM, Heer. 



Under stones in S. Miguel, Terccirn, and Santa Maria, but rarely. 

 This agrees precisely with the spechnens recorded by Mr. WoUaston 

 from Lanzarote in the Canaries, and forms the only link between 



