os sew rete eeeet a." eee eee ete eh lalate ngs rafter at Sed ee Pera pest satay haere quoese = cat ee pate atete ar elas ecru eeerere rtrd rer | a yw earn , “e Sytiee fae arene of Pe rane ty Riad pan tn La tig h qie en he oe ot were sie Se be gue ptt Baa tan ae ee ee oe ererritt rite ae a8 have smeibs baat vat eter) eet ererrrr ty gas a pevrae rag pr eat co eeernsr ad ” patna tm ek ott ete ew aate teem eet ke at eee asa eptpowsaene bs | epi y orc atk ahaa Sok doe Bethan wee bees * ba aw lene 9 eae eer et ae cae nee tm guise Perret bits Penoteny ne Fae ore we ate 8 fy Pree reas Fest wee oe tase ate ote eee sae w Per on OF ee Seater ae path ALY wate # Sate bole perrer Prat iT tthe pervert Seer . winieree sat 2 ke we ate bore owe wrare wget maerroer a YP ISeU PLLA ihe cn ete ae ease ed oe see ees rr evetreri gs lid Pari yarns) muennererh En RIS Pear Seneriir rte at] eee eT EE omit Git hes init eome meee 1a eee ptaabarien Aaeav be: ripte wale a HIPPO EIS TEE Stabe bb tes bret ye “ sberrarr ner Mater erae eer Pros rer nad wemerereny rrr er irs ot aek a he tine ee he Pree ee ad wate stats * ee rernrr elec Peter Et diel ’ Pare Try Weta Ult Aha bisa sears. odie cnt ory -oreecrts ashnine soe) eee ature pa-we are eaasnsn rhe Rae-OlO 9, ae pate Me apse ah bee iweb: oe BORN t £0 atte a eee totdita veseres wie: a @apee se ooh 9 1 oe re rn PeOIeT Per TLL, Li 44.c6-ete eet terest wwe Peer irr Ch akaeal reser rey sewn rayne nee ee pd ee ca tet pete cane oo ube be 108 Araamine earn tas cot fn tbr oron ese 288 set ytatonyceridcet : * rane Oot STAN tetae oo gee Hhesberchs + voqnesieew eran a tmrnetenaey wee secs are abt ben tat te nah bi: opted orth svet aren ee oranets Tike tc Lusiaie sarante Waee se eee wien ns ke w satiate gets ales “aw sorte ® saw oe eee ae Pa ered PA ’ ” errant ota ter ib.sb a. carer a0 hse" On Paralecrgere err eer ie Sel Laer arya wut perro lee 749000 eter rrr ae nt aed 2Gs tee ea ee 2 =) Li W 2 = - 4 z 2 EF zt z v =) a a aay ay ~~ LIBRARY OF Henry Guernsey Hubl by os ~ - AND DONATED IN 1902 asic NO. ey rae . 7 y east N.S ry a 3 NER Op O O ee iil H : we 7 2s ae ‘Ti ee h (Sor i SF aes : (| | ) Fe he AL “dy 4 or ro = - 1 , ‘ 2*@ ¥ nl 4: 1 af 7 _ i 1 Ly Ae ; { p bs y J ? 4 _ 4 ¥ wy j ; \ } A See ane + has i 2 es . ¢ = “AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY = HELD AT PHILADELPHIA \ b: PROMOTING USEFUL KNOWLEDGE : WOle 2ovi- DECEMBER 1876. No. 96. PIOUAL MUST UY PHILADELPHIA: PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY BY M’CALLA & STAVELY. 1876. 2 ee f ‘ ~ : ON THE AY oj Yu j t A SYSTEMATIC VALUE OF RHYNCHOPHOROUS COLEOPTERA, An Abstract of a Memoir read before the National Academy of Sciences, at Washington, Jan. 24th, 1867. By JOHN L. LeCONTE. Iw the empirical arrangement of the families of Coleoptera, which has resulted from the adoption of the tarsal system of division, the families contained in the great natural group of He- teromera are followed by the Curculionidz and Scolytide, which, more or less.subdivided into smaller families, have been sup- posed to establish a linear relation between the rostrated Hete- romera (Salpingus, Rhinosimus, &c.) to the Cerambycide and Chrysomelide, the great types of the Pseudotetramera, or Sub- pentamera, of various authors. It.is the object of the present investigation to determine the limits, and the relations of the first mentioned of these types, the Rhynchophora. The inferiority of this type is manifested, not only in the lar- val condition by the limited number or absence of visual lenses, the want of locomotive appendages, the feeble development or entire want of antenn, and the unchitinized epidermis; but also by the combination in the imago of characters belonging to a perfectly developed organism with others pertaining to an infe- rior grade in the scale of Coleoptera. Thus, for instance, while we perceive in the other series of beetles, that the lower forms retain certain larval characters, as evidenced by the extension of the coxe, the imperfection of the anterior coxal cavities, the softness of the integuments, and the want of centralization in the abdomen, all such degradational characters are absent in the Rhynchophora. Other characters representing low grades in their respective series do not appear in the Rhynchophora, such as vegetative growth of the organs of sense, indicated by pectinate or flabel- late antennze, or excessive length of palpi. On the contrary, we find in the Rhynchophora, that the in- teguments are perfectly chitinized: the elytra never abbreviated or wanting; the anterior coxz are always completely enclosed ; the ventral segments, usually five, never exceed six in number. The plan of degradation, in passing from the higher to the lower forms, is by the extension of the longitudinal axis of the body, in its anterior half; this is usually most strongly manifes- ted in the head, and exhibited not only by the length of the beak, but by the conformation of the lower floor of the mouth, gs £ y, | CWS [ uf f CAM SPRING ‘HE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND ARTS, Vou. XLIV, Jury, 1867.) i cae cae ‘ J, L. LeConte on Rhynchophorous Coleoptera. Commencing with those Curculionide (Adelognathi Lacordaire,) -- in which the mentum fills the gular emargination, as in the higher Tenebrionide, we find a gradual lessening in size of the mentum, itself becoming supported upon a broad, short, gular peduncle, permitting the maxillz to become visible, (Phanerog- nathi, Cohort 1, Lacordaire): next the gular peduncle becomes elongated, and bilobed, receiving the mentum, now reduced to very small size, between its lobes (Phanerognathi, Cohort 11, and also Brenthide, and Anthribide). Having in the continuance of my work on the Classification of Coleoptera of North America, recently commenced a critical study of our Rhynchophora, I became aware of the impossibil- ity of intercalating them between the Heteromera and Subpen- tamera, and am now convinced that they represent a special type, which must be isolated from all other types of Coleoptera, pos- sessing a systematic value equal to all the others combined. In seeking for the characters which should define this type, I observed a remarkable difference in the arrangement of the pieces of the under surface of the prothorax, heretofore over- looked, and so far as I know, confined to this particular type. In other Coleoptera, the prosternum is either extended behind the anterior coxe, so as to form part of the hind margin of the segment, thus coming in contact with the mesosternum, or it is cut off between the coxe, and in this case (as in many others) the coxal cavities are open behind: in the few exceptions (Derodontus, Dacoderus) in which the coxee are contiguous and the cavities closed behind, the prosternum still extends behind the coxe, to the hind margin of the segment, as is shown by the short sutures separating the epimera from the medial piece of the prosternum. I have represented these modifications of form in the adjoin- See ing wood-cuts. Fig. 1, under surface of prothorax of a Carabide (Pasimachus) ; the coxa] cavities are closed, and the epimera ant - + a J. L. LeConte on Rhynchophorous Coleoptera. 3 episterna well defined. Fig. 2, do. of a Scarabzeide (Lachnoster- na): the coxz are transverse, the cavities closed, the side pieces not distinct. Fig. 3, do. of Cucujus; coxal cavities open behind, side pieces not distinct. Fig. 4, do. of Telephorus: coxal cavities confluent and open behind. In Rhynchophora the prothoracic sutures are obliterated, there is no separation between the prosternum and episterna, and very rarely between the latter and the pronotum: the coxal cavities, frequently confluent, are always closed behind, by the epimera, which become connate on the median line, enclosing the hind part of the prosternum, thus cutting it off completely from the mesothoracic segment. Fig. 5 represents this arrangement of parts in a Brenthide, in which family the extreme limit of degradation by linear ex- tension is reached. Fig. 6, under surface of prothorax of a Calandride (Rhynchophorus). Fig. 7, do. of Cryptorhynchus. Fig. 8, do. of Balaninus. Fig. 9, do. Ophryastes. Fig. 10, do. Thecesternus. Fig. 11, do. Dendroctonus. When the coxe are contiguous, the point of the prosternum is visible behind them, but is none the less perfectly enclosed by the growth of the side pieces to the median line. Another evidence of the inferiority of type of the Rhyncho- phora, which has not been mentioned, is seen in the functions performed by the beak, which in the lower groups, especially in the female, becomes greatly elongated. The occurrence of cor- neous exserted ovipositors in other orders of insects is not rare: a few species of Coleoptera (certain Valgus, for example) have the last abdominal segment prolonged, simulating such an organ. But it was reserved for the Rhynchophora to exhibit a degrada- tion of type, by which a function, peculiarly appropriate to the posterior extremity of the body, is performed by the head: the elongated beak becoming in fact the ovipositor. Thus the inferiority of grade, evidenced in other series of Co- leoptera by the softness of the integuments, or by the perma- nence of larval forms, chiefly in the abdomen and coxe, is in the Rhynchophora manifested by the transfer of a function from the posterior to the anterior part of the body, and the linear extension of the latter, in accordance with this ‘change of base.’ The principles of classification of Rhynchophora, and their division into families will be discussed in a subsequent memoir. It is, however, proper to observe that the peculiar construction of prothorax above described as characteristic of the Rhyncho- phora, is not exhibited in the Bruchide, which family, as ob- served by Lacordaire (Gen. Col. vii, 600), should be viewed as closely related to, if not actually a portion of, the great family Chrysomelide. ote Pat in} mai . arth betsy tees aba he 15 es ier! fouoasy Dit Whe * cid nt boo toler AS ’ (aihsatcordh be ach ie aneldy | EN aye ec ¥ y Fiore gerne ari ey Liste re Tyieeatiait “f ICV 45 Sifts eias Joh oo hadowie, Hubraiare bik 17) ugh maa ob: i ) OO AY ’ LE ret AT (Sots et t a) ft {y OUR Ot if Silt OitOt BE THEE wi ‘hurdae tH) mu hh OF aot e apie dite if Nad (Olt Au) odbte Sit S 11) ie TOME fe. x nth fore eit Gh Beh lorihs i : Ae vith AD rte eH Woth Ke at mts ANY teeYEA +44 AY sib ; : RNP ae ! hy . an ist ni tts ar M Patt dF UE ory Se eel) * i if im 4 hae er my if ce hse iw i eee a hoe Ml ¢ ' a wy ea , LF} + tie | {Wh ry ; aden , Chit » ie a i) m4 « rT] , ¥ tt " Pha) (Pi ad A } ate ns 2 ae “ v wT ee ¢ x a/ ‘ a , De Magi r " he ae bh ‘ ‘ 4 tn) Oe vl me i ae i ee ‘ a aif ue 4 e" ‘ | ihre ia , J 4 4 4 , f ‘ v wh: wy lie ; ' » Th, vi) o 1 Faye. AP pl a7 ‘ A r @ 2 diel woe ‘. 3 7 f x MM IE 9 Oe Clee | rasta a8 K lw | SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRAR i IES 04& 0022898? 4 nhent QL596.C9L46 pt. 1 The rhynchophora of America north