115 



LUCANUS IS. 



Sp. 20. Piceus. — Mr. Kirby has given the generic 

 name of Platycerus to the above insect, not aware, 

 perhaps, that Mr. William Sharpe MacLeay has 

 published it under the title of Ceruchus. 



Passalus 14. 



Sp. 1. Interruptus. — This species, I am inclined 

 to think, belongs peculiarly to South America, and 

 never enters the United States, apparently the In- 

 terruptus of Linneus and Fabricius are distinct 

 insects On turning to Monsieur Percheron's mo- 

 nograph of Passalus, his remarks relating to the 

 country it inhabits are as follows : This species is 

 common to Cayenne and intertropical America. I 

 have observed in the collections which I have 

 examined, some small individuals under the name 

 of P. Ambegicus, it is impossible, however, to dis- 

 cover any specific difference in them. They are all 

 from Colombia. He adds, "Je crois que cette 

 espece fait partie de la masse deja trop nombreuse 

 de celles qui ne doivent leur existence qu'au desir 

 de multiplier les especes nouvelles, pour augmenter 

 ses moyens d'echange, et dont on doit faire prompte 

 et brieve justice." (Vid. Percheron's Monographic 

 des Passales, p. 45.) 



