THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 
BROOKLYN MUSEUM 
SCIENCE BULLETIN 
VOL. 3, NO. 3 
REVISION OF THE NEW WORLD SPECIES OF THE TRIBE 
DONACIINI OF THE COLEOPTEROUS 
FAMILY CHRYSOMELIDAE. 
By Charles Schaeffer. 
The present revision is the outcome of a critical study of a few 
species of Donacia which have been known to be very troublesome and 
originated in an attempt to name a few of these in the Museum collection 
together with others which were received for identification. From time 
to time allied species were investigated with interesting results and the 
work finally continued until all the species were taken up. As only two 
Donacias were recorded from below our southern border and the West 
Indian Islands, these are included in the present revision and likewise 
Haenionia, the only other genus of the tribe Donaciini occurring in America 
with only one variable species. 
The North American species of Donacia are very variable and un- 
fortunately in most of the characters useful in distinguishing species and 
the study of them was at times laborious as a great number of 
specimens of most of the species had to be examined and studied to 
ascertain how far the variations go and also to become thoroughly 
acquainted with the different species. In addition carefully reading the 
numerous original descriptions of American Donacias described by 
French, English, German and American authors has taken a good deal 
of time. However, the result has been gratifying as a number of mistakes 
in the identification of some of the species were found and could be 
corrected. 
Up to the time the present revision was undertaken seventy-seven 
names have been proposed for North American Donacias. Of these 
Lacordaire heads the list with twenty-one; Leconte nineteen; Kirby 
seven; Newman three; Say and Melsheimer each six; Olivier, Germar, 
Ahrens and Suffrian each two; Kunze, Coupez, Crotch, Leng, Knab, 
Blatchley and Weise each one. 
Of these seventy-nine names twenty-seven are recognized as valid 
species or varieties in our recent catalogue, the rest are relegated to 
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