CLASSIFICATION, NOMENCLATURE, ETC. ix 



Much more attention is now paid to the differences in the internal 

 structure — the formation of the internal male and female reproductive 

 organs (ovaries, testicles, &c.), the number of Malpighian tubes, the 

 concentration or non-concentration of the ganglia, &c. ; in many cases 

 these appear to be of great importance, but it is doubtful how far the 

 present generalisations will hold good when a larger number of species 

 have been carefully dissected ; at any rate, the question need not here 

 be discussed. 



As I have for some time past been occupied with the general 

 Introduction to the Coleoptera for the Fauna of British India, which 

 has been lately issued by the India Office,* I need not say more 

 here than to refer any who may be interested in these points to the 

 more detailed account which I have there given. 



The classification which seems to me the least open to objection 

 for the present would be a combination of Sharp's and Ganglbauer's 

 systems, as follows (pi'oceeding from the lower to the higher) : 



Sub-Order I. Adephaga. 



PoLYCERATA (Polymorplia or Polyphaga). 

 Staphylinoidea. 

 Clavicornia. 



Serricornia (including IVIalacodermata). 

 - Heteromera. 



Phytophaga (including Longicornia). 

 Rhyncophora. 

 Lamellicornia. 



The divisions of the- Polycerata must be taken as more or less 

 parallel, and not as in any definite order, and it would, perhaps, be 

 more correct to regard the Malacodermata as parallel with the Adephaga, 

 although they cannot in any way be classified with them. 



It does not matter which of the terms Polymorpha, Polyphaga, or 

 Polycerata we adopt, but in the face of the terms in such common use 

 for the groups (Clavicornia, Longicornia, &c.) the last of the three 

 seems preferable. 



The old classification by means of the number of the joints of the 

 tarsi — Pentamera, Tetramei'a, Heteromera, &c., is still very important, 

 but has fallen into disuse, probably from the fact that tlie character 

 has sometimes been counted as applying to a series (Heteromera), 

 sometimes as tribal, sometimes as a mark of family, and sometimes 

 as merely generic ; this must necessarily be the case where there is 

 large variation within the limits of a single family {e.g. Staphylinidse), 



With regard to nomenclature very little need be said ; this is rather 

 a matter for the compiler of the next British Catalogue, which ought 

 seen to be put in hand. One thing is certain, and that is that we 

 must bring the British list, as regards names, as far as possible into 



* The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma ; Coleoptera, 

 General Introduction and Cicindelida^ and PaussidtB. 1912. 



