540 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



lapponum, Melolontha Mp])ocastani, Otiorrhynchus llandus, Otiorrliyn^ 

 maurus, Tropifhorus oMusus, and Erirrhinus cetMops. These insects 

 are more or less "widely distributed oyer Scandinavia, northern and 

 parts of central Europe, Siberia, and some extend to Jforth America.. 

 Nearly all of them occur in Scotland, and very many range into the 

 northern parts of England and into Wales. We have in this group 

 also instances of curious distribution. The ground beetle, Felophila 

 horealis, is oui' most striking example ; this interesting species is 

 found from Antrim to Donegal, and thence along the western side of 

 the island, as far at least as the Killarney district, but we have no 

 record of its occurrence east of a line drawn from l^ewry to Killarney. 

 We find also that the highland species of this group are not so 

 well represented on the WicMow mountains as they are on the 

 western highlands. It may be noted, however, that a fair number 

 of these northerners occur in suitable localities throughout Ireland, 

 such as Carahus clathratiis, C. glalratiis, Nehria Gyllenhali, Aphodius 

 lappojium, and others. Though most of these hill-fi'equenting species 

 are rightly referred to this group, yet the European range of certain 

 of them suggests a purely alpine^ — as opposed to a northern origin. 

 Thus, the rare ground-beetle Leistus montanus, which is peculiar to 

 the summits of our higher mountains, is recorded abroad from the 

 Alps, and Pyrenees. 



On the Continent the species which form the third group of our 

 native beetles, are found almost exclusively in south-western Eui'ope 

 and the Mediten-anean region, the exceptions being certain littoral 

 species {Aejms, Phytosus, &:c.) which range along the western coasts of 

 Europe so far north as Scandiriavia. The following list includes a 

 number of the Irish species of this group, and it is noteworthy that 

 they are mostly insects of the sea-shore : — Neh'ia complanata, Cillenus 

 lateralis^ Aepus Rohinii, Aepus mari?ms, Bidesstis mzmitissimus, Och- 

 thebius Lejolisi, Phytosus hcdticus, Phytosus sp>inifer, Diglotta mersa, 

 Diglotta sinuaticollis, Cafius fucicola, Bryaxis Waterhousei, Selops 

 pallidus, Otiorrhynchus auropunctattis, Ccenop)sis TTaltom, Ccetiopsis 

 fissirostris, Polydrusus chrysomela., Liosoma troglodytes, Ceutliorrhyn- 

 chus Daivsoni, and Rhopalomesites Tardyi. The last-mentioned, an 

 interesting wood-boring weevil, has often been cited as our most 

 typical south-western species. It is locally abundant in wooded 

 districts thi'oughout Ireland, but in Great Britain it is confined to 



^ For evidence of an alpine fauna in the British Isles, consult R. F. Scharff's 

 "The History of the European Fauna." London, 1899. 



