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Show 300 REV. H. S. GORHAM ON THE CLASSIFICATION [Apr. 5, 3. The Abdomen.-This is remarkably uniform in all the genera, yet affords two most trenchant and easily observed distinctions, viz. the presence or absence and variety of two lines, sometimes raised, sometimes impressed upon the intercoxal process of the basal segment; their presence is a peculiarity of the Asiatic species. And, secondly, the excision of the apical segment, which rarely takes place and usually in the male sex only. 4. Appendages.-The elytra : these are sometimes quite smooth at the apices, or they are denticulate, excised, truncate, or divaricating ; these are partly generic but partly divisional characters. Thus the finely denticulate apex is nearly, or quite, a peculiarity of the American species. The legs : the femora are either smooth in both sexes, or finely granulate or denticulate in the males ; the tibise very rarely bent or sinuous like those of Endomychidse, often incrassate as in Erotylidse, never toothed as in the former. The tarsi: I have examined the soles with the view of ascertaining if any such differences as Mr. Bates has used in the Carabidse exist; and I find two types of feet, one with spongiose close-set papillse, the other similar but with ragged rough hairs in addition, and much hairier above and on the sides. The latter is the usual American type, the former the Eastern or Asiatic: modifications occur in both parts of the world ; and I venture to think that in this I have found a clue to the natural arrangement of genera in this subfamily, but yet one that must be taken in combination with the more important of the characters mentioned, as in certain genera an intermediate form occurs. This is, however, the case whatever be the distinctive structure selected for the purpose of classification ; cases will always present themselves in which any one character fails to give any response, and we must have recourse to others known to be correlated with it to satisfy our inquiries. I may here acknowledge the contributions to our knowledge of this group made by Mr. Lewis and the Rev. W . W . Fowler. Of course I have made use of every kind of information I could find already published, for which I feel no apology is needed. The following is an attempt to place the general results of my examination in a tabular form. The North-American genera will be more fully characterized in an early part of the ' Biologia Centrali- Americana.' The genera which I wish to suggest for adoption for the eastern species which have been described as Languria are indicated also by a type species as well as in the table; it must here be observed I do not regard any species I have yet seen from Asia or Africa as belonging to Languria proper, of which L. mozardi is the type. It is not to be supposed that I have studied more than a limited number of the Asiatic species ; my examination of them, so far as it has gone, leads m e to expect that many more genera than are here suggested will have to be made, but that their arrangement will be much facilitated by attention being paid to the sectional characters now proposed. |
