New Fossil Coleoptera 

 From the Florissant Beds 



Twenty-one species are described as new in the following 

 pages. The Florissant list of Coleoptera now reaches a total of 

 five hundred and fifteen, and while no new families are added 

 several of the genera are either established as new or have not 

 before been recognized from these deposits. Work on the avail- 

 able collections is now approaching completion and the ancient 

 Coleopterous fauna of these Miocene shales may be considered 

 as fairly well known.. 



It is quite within the bounds of probability that another year 

 will see the publication of an analysis of the fauna which will 

 allow of fairly accurate comparisons with local lists from various 

 sections. Meanwhile it will not be altogether without interest to 

 make a few general remarks as to the nature of the beetle life 

 around the ancient Lake Florissant, as shown by the numerous 

 collections, aggregating several thousand specimens, which have 

 been studied by Scudder, Cockerell and myself. 



Perhaps the most evident feature is the inconspicuousness of 

 the majority of the species. It is true that a few large beetles 

 occur, such as an occasional Calosoma, a Lucanus, a Strategus 

 and so on, but there is nothing like the number of striking forms 

 that one would expect when comparing the Coleoptera 

 with the Mammalian life of the same period. In Iowa, 

 California, New York or Canada, one might find in a 

 single day more really fine beetles than, are represented 

 in the whole list of the Florissant fauna. There are no 

 Pasimachus, Dytiscus, Hydrophilus (proper), Necrophorus, Al- 



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