NORTH AMERICAN GROUND-BEETLES 
(COLEOPTERA, CARABIDAE, EXCLUDING 
CICINDELINAE) DESCRIBED BY THOMAS SAY: 
DESIGNATION OF LECTOTYPES AND NEOTYPES 
By Carl H. Lindroth 1 and Richard Freitag 2 
Introduction 
Thomas Say (1787-1834) was the founder of scientific entomology 
and conchology in North America. He described an immense number 
of insects of all orders, among the Carabidae (incl. Cicindelinae) no 
less than 165 species. They were included in the following eight 
papers : 
1817. Descriptions of several new species of North American 
insects. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. 1:2. Philadelphia, pp. 19-23. (Only 
Cicindela , among the Carabidae.) 
1818. A monograph of North American insects, of the genus 
Cicindela. Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. (N. S.) 1. Philadelphia, 
pp. 401-426. 
1823a. Descriptions of coleopterous insects collected in the late 
expedition to the Rocky Mountains, performed by order of Mr. 
Calhoun, Secretary of War, under the command of Major Long. 
Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. 3: 1. Philadelphia, pp. 139-216. 
1823b. 3 Descriptions of insects of the families of Carabici and 
Hydrocanthari of Latreille, inhabiting North America. Trans. Amer. 
Philos. Soc. (N. S.) 2: 1. Philadelphia, pp. 1-109. 
1824. Appendix to the narrative of an expedition to the source of 
St. Peter’s river, &c., under the command of Stephen H. Long, 
Major U. S. T. E. 2. Philadelphia, pp. 268-378. 
1825. American entomology. II. Philadelphia. Pis. 19-36. 
1828. American entomology. III. Philadelphia. Pis. 37 - 54 . 
1834. 4 Descriptions of new North American insects and observa- 
1 Zool Inst., Lund, Sweden. 
Takehead Univ., Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada. 
Manuscript received by the editor May 16, 1969 
The year of publication of this important paper is much discussed. It 
is often given as 1825 (e. g. by Hagen 1862-63; Leng 1929; Horn & Schenk- 
ling 1928-29), but Leconte (1859b, p. 435) is obviously right in assuming 
the year to be 1823. This, among other things, gives certain Say names 
priority over names given by Germar (1824), as expressly stated by Say 
himself (1834, p. 421, Anchomenus cincticollis ) . 
Tart of Say’s paper of 1834 had been printed in 1829-33 in a newspaper, 
“The Disseminator,” and another part as a separate pamphlet, both at New 
Harmony, Ind. (see Leconte 1859b, p. 521). Neither can be regarded as 
valid publication. 
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