THE 



ENTOMOLOGIST'S 



MONTHLY MAGAZINE: 



VOLUME L I V. 



[THIED SERIES, VOL. IV.] 



JAN 281918 



STUDIES IN RHYNCHOPHORA* 

 BY D. SHAEP, M.A., F.E.S. 



,S.- The BRITISH RED APIOXS. 



The species of the genus Apion are much in need of a careful study. 

 The genus, as at present understood, is very extensive. Herr Hans 

 Wagner has devoted much attention to it, and we are indebted to him 

 for a catalogue of Apioiiidae (published in 1910 by W. Junk) in which 

 exactly 1000 species are assigned to the genus Apion. This is, however, 

 probably not one-tenth of those existing in the world. 



I have recently had occasion to study the genitalia of a few species,f 

 and I find so much difference in the construction of this important 

 m.echanism that I have no doubt the genus will be divided into numerous 

 genera when these parts are well studied and comprehended. 



Apion, however, offers special difficulties, not only because of the 

 minute size of the creatures, but also on account of the peculiar construc- 

 tion of the parts in question. I am mentioning this, not because I have 

 any intention of attempting to develop this study at present, but rather 

 because Herr Wagner, who has attempted to use these characters, has 

 not met with much success. 



He has recently published a paper (Miinchen. Kol. Zeitschr. iii, 

 1906, p. 199), entitled [translated] " Is Apion cruentatum Walton to 

 be separated as a species from Apion j^rument avium Payk. ? " He tells us 

 that he has studied the male characters of 60 specimens from Bohemia, 

 and an equal number from other countries, and as a result he finds that 

 the two forms should not be considered distinct. At the same time he 



* Continued from Vol. LIII, pp. 100-108, May 1917. 



t I have the pleasure of thanking Commander Walker for sending me many fresh specimens of 

 Apion for dissection. 



