58 ME. DATID SHAEP ON 



On the GolydiidcB collected by Mr. G-. Lewis in Japan, By 

 David Sharp, M.B. (Communicated by George Lewis, 

 F.L.S.) 



[Eead 15th January, 1885.] 



(Plate III.) 



IJ^OTHiNQ- was known of the Colydiidse of Japan previous to 

 Mr. George Lewis's explorations there ; but these have shown 

 that the Japanese archipelago is fairly rich in the Xylopliagous 

 insects constituting the family of Coleoptera we are now deal- 

 ing with. This singularly successful collector has discovered in 

 Japan no less than thirty-five species of the family, which is 

 a large number when we recollect tliat Europe, which has 

 been thoroughly explored for these insects by many ento:- 

 mologists, has only produced about fifty species, and America, 

 north of Mexico, has not yet been proved to nourish so large 

 a number as this latter. As the Colydiidee are small insects, 

 usually. rare, and many of them of habits rendering their capture 

 a matter of great difficulty, we may be sure that Japan has still 

 a considerable number of species in addition to those met with 

 by Mr. Lewis. Indeed we may take it for ascertained that the 

 Japanese archipelago in proportion to its area is richer in Coly- 

 diidse than either Europe or North America. Mr. Pascoe has 

 worked out (Journ. of Ent. ii. pp. 121-143, PI. viii.) the Colydiidse 

 collected in the Austro-Malay region by Wallace, and informs 

 us that fifty species were obtained in that region. Of the thirty- 

 dve species detected by Mr. Lewis, twenty-nine have not been 

 found elsewhere, fivee occur also in Ceylon, nnd one species 

 is considered to be not specifically distinct from one of our 

 European insects. 



The family Colydiidee is one in which genera are very nu- 

 merous in proportion to the species ; and I have considered the 

 thirty-five species found in Japan as representing no less than 

 , twenty-four genera. Of tliis number eight appear, as far as 

 I know at present, to be peculiar to Japan, viz. Syinpanotus, 

 Pseudotarphius, Glyphocryptus, Labromiomis, Acoloplms, Gylindro- 

 micrus, Cautomus, aiid TJiyrod^rus. Six — Colobicus, Cicones, Xu- 



