CHAP. XX J.] 
INSECTS. 
493 
in the Oriental ami Australian regions. No genus has the 
range of the whole family, Dorcus and Lwcanus being absent 
from Africa, while Qladognathus is unknown in the New World 
and on the continent of Australia. The Oriental region is the 
richest in peculiar forms, possessing 1G genera, 7 of which are 
wholly confined to it, while 3 others only just range beyond it 
to North China on the one side, or to the Austro-Malayan 
islands on the other. The Australian region comes next, with 
15 genera, of which 7 are wholly peculiar. South America has 
12 genera, 10 of which are peculiar. The Ethiopian region has 
10 genera, 7 of which are peculiar, and 2 of these are confined 
to the island of Bourbon. The Palsearctic region has 8 genera, 
and the Nearctic 5; one genus being peculiar to Europe, and 
two confined to Europe and North America. The Ethiopian and 
Oriental regions have 3 genera in common and peculiar to them; 
the Oriental and Australian 3 ; while the Australian and Neo- 
tropical have 1 in common, to which may be added Streptocerus , 
which represents in Chili the Australian Lamprima, 
Among the special features presented by the distribution of 
the Lucanidse, may be mentioned — the remarkable group of 
genera, Pholidotus, Ckiasognathus, and Sphenognathus, confined 
to Temperate South America, the Andes, and mountains of 
Brazil ; Lucanus (19 sp.), almost confined to the Oriental and 
Palsearctic regions, three species only inhabiting North America ; 
Odontolabris (29 sp.), wholly Oriental, with 2 sp. in Celebes; 
NigidiiiS (11 sp.), Ethiopian, but with species in Eormosa, the 
Philippines, and Malacca; Pyndtsus (11 sp.), common to Australia, 
New Caledonia, and South America; Figulus (20 sp.); divided 
between Africa and Madagascar on the one hand, and Australia, 
with the Malay and Pacific Islands, on the other. 
The facts of distribution here sketched . out are in perfect 
accordance with those of many groups of Vertebrates. The 
regions are sharply contrasted by their peculiar and character- 
istic genera ; the several relations of those regions are truly 
indicated ; while there is a comparatively small proportion of 
cases of anomalous or eccentric distribution. 
