A Revision of the Coleopterous Family Coccinellid

4T COCCINELLnXE. : (JTambrfljrjr PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY, M.A. AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. : d,x A REVISION OF THE COLEOPTEEOUS FAMILY COCCINELLIDJ5., GEORGE ROBERT CROTCH/ M.A. hi Honfcon E. W. JANSON, 28, MUSEUM STREET. 1874. — PREFACE. Having spent many happy hours with the lamented author in the examination of the beautiful forms of which this book treats, I have felt it a pleasant thing to be associated, even in so humble a capacity, with its introduction to the Entomological world ; and the little service I have had the privilege of rendering in the revision of the proof-sheets of the latter half of the work, has been quite a labour of love enabling me to offer a slight testimony of affection to a kind friend, and of my personal interest in that family of the Coleoptera which had first attracted my attention by the singular loveliness of its numerous species. A careful revision by the author himself would have been of incalculable value to the work ; its usefulness would also have been greatly enhanced, had it been possible for him to have made those modifications and additions which his investigations in America afforded materials for. But, of course, this was not possible. There is, however, the conso- lation of knowing that the student can obtain the results of those later researches, in the author's memoir, entitled " Revision of the Coccinellidse of the United States," to which Mr Janson refers in the note which follows this preface. When, in the autumn of 1872, Mr Crotch took his departure for the United States of America, as the first VI PREFACE. stage of his proposed Natural History expedition to the South Seas, only a part of this book had passed through the press, and had had the advantage of his personal revision. At a much later period, and after considerable delay (the reasons for which are given in a note received from Henry Bradshaw, Esq., King's College, Cambridge, which will be found at page ix.), it became my duty to assume the responsibility of supervising its completion. This task was rendered much easier by the valuable aid of Edward W. Janson, Esq., of London, who kindly added or verified such references to works as were not to be found in the Cam- bridge University Library. It may be due to the author and the reader to say that Mr Crotch was a hard worker; and by the aid of much practical knowledge of his subject, and of its literature in several languages, together with the possession of an unrivalled collection which he had spared no trouble or expense to render as perfect as possible, and an intense enthusiasm, he was able to accomplish, in a comparatively short period, what might reasonably be expected to have required years. During the last few months ere he left England, I am aware that he often spent days and nights, with but brief periods of rest, in preparing the present monograph, and accumulating materials for an equally elaborate one on the Family of the Erotylidce. During his sojourn in the United States he must have worked with the same unflinching ardour till within a short period before his death, judging only by what he accomplished. On referring to a letter of his sent me from San Francisco, dated Oct. 7, 1873, I find him saying, " I have described about 500 new North American Coleoptcra, and am in fact an authority on them now. I have to study CureuUonida> in the winter, ;! PREFACE. Vll beautiful, but very difficult, I fear. I have found some splendid Coccinellidce here; and made out all the North American species satisfactorily now. Have been from S. Diego to Cariboo, far up on the Frazer, almost to Hudson's Bay. I am now through my first year's work, and shall go back to the East to count up and describe novelties. I have taken vast numbers of things, though hardly as many " as I had hoped. They are not so common as in Spain By reference to Mr Janson's note, it will be seen that "The Revision of the Coccinellidcv of the United States " became a part of his labours. Besides this, he contributed some Papers to American Entomological Journals, treating of the Dytiscidcv, Buprestidce, Phytophaga, Erotylidce, and Endomychidce; and brought out a new Catalogue of the United States Coleoptera, north of Mexico, which was printed at Salem, in addition to work done at the Museum of Zoology at Cambridge, Mass., and, preparations for further explora- tions. It was therefore not a matter for surprise if, under such incessant labour, while almost ignoring the requirements of the body, his health, never so perfect as he imagined it to be, at last seriously broke up, arid he was seen to be a dying man months before he would acknowledge the fact to himself or others. Happily, in America as in England, he won the respect and love of all who became acquainted with him and before the end came, Providence had placed him as a dying guest in a home where kindly and gentle hearts and hands cared for and tended him as if he were a beloved brother or son, while every friend besides, whom he had won in the good city of Philadelphia, did his or her best to render his last days of life as pleasant and easy as his painful illness would permit. All honour to them for it viii PREFACE. On the lGth of June, 1874, lie died of consumption, in the 33rd year of his age, deeply lamented by a world-wide circle of friends, who feel that thereby the science of Entomology has also lost an accomplished and useful worker, who would have done still greater things if he had been spared a few more years. It only now remains for me to give an indication, in the form of a table of tribes and genera, of the author's arrange- ment of, and additions to, the family of the Coccinellidcv, trusting that in some way this may render the work slightly more easy for reference and study. In hoping that his labours may be the means of encouraging many to study this beautiful but comparatively neglected family of beetles, and prove of value to those who already know much about them, I am, I believe, only expressing that which Mr Crotch had so fervently at heart, when he prepared the work. KOBERT H. F. EIPPON. 9, Petersfield, Park Side, Cambridge, September 1st, 1874. The Author of the present treatise, well and widely known to entomologists for the zeal and ability with which he devoted himself to the study and pursuit of his favourite science, and endeared to those intimately acquainted with him by his keen sense of honour, frankness, manly courage, and loving unselfish nature, having left England on a long projected entomological journey to the southern hemisphere vid the United States of America, and California, during its progress through the press, his friend, Mr R. H. F. Rippou, of Cambridge, undertook the onerous task of supervising the 1 concluding portion of the work . 1 Pages 1—ICO wcro revised by Mr Crotch, and printed off prior to his leaving England in October, 1872. — PREFACE. IX In a memoir, entitled " Revision of the Coccinellidae of the United States," communicated by Mr Crotch to the American Entomological Society, and published in its Transactions, Vol. iv. p. 363 (April, 1873), it will be seen that an inspection of the North American collections has necessitated the establishment of no less than three new genera, viz., Ceratomegilla, Crotch (having the fades of Rip- podamia, but structurally more nearly allied to Megilla), type G. Ulkei, Crotch, n. sp., Hyperaspidius, Crotch (related to Hyperaspis, but differing in having the elytral epipleurae simple, i.e. destitute of foveas for the reception of the femora), type trimaculata, Linn.,—and Cephaloscymnus, Crotch (dis- tinguished by its narrow transverse thorax with .immargi- nate base, its large porrected head, etc.), type C. Zimmer- manni, Crotch, and the description of eleven new species of previously recognised genera, viz. Hippodamia oregonensis, H. falcigera, II. americana, Coccinella dijficilis, C. annectens, Mysia Hornii, Brachyacantha indubitabilis, B. Bollii, Hyper- aspis dissoluta, H. Leiuisii, and H. Hornii: an investigation also of the actual types of several North American species involved certain modifications in nomenclature, which, un- fortunately, could not be inserted and adopted in the present work, owing to the portions in which they occurred having been printed off long ere the advent of the memoir. EDWARD W. JANSON. London, 31sf August, 1874. King's College, Cambridge, August 31, 1874. My dear Sir, The whole expense of printing Mi* Crotch's Revision of the Coccinellidw, which you have so kindly under- taken to see through the press, has been borne by the Syndics of the University Press; and I can only say, what Mr Crotch would have said, that all thanks are due to them for their liberality in the matter. c. b X PEEFACE. Thus much it is necessary for me to say in answer to your question. But there has been so much delay in the publi- cation of the work, that I cannot let it go out without a few words from me, to shew that neither Mr Crotch nor Mr Janson and yourself have been in any way responsible lor its late appearance. The work, as you are only too well aware, was only in part printed when Mr Crotch left England on the first of October, 1872. The manuscript of the remainder was left with me to see to its completion ; but owing partly to an unfortunate mistake of mine, it was mislaid and only dis- covered in the autumn of 1873.

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