THE PHYLOGENY OF THE ELATERIDAE BASED ON LARVAL CHARACTERS. By J. A. Hyslop, Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C. The object of the present paper is to accentuate the value of studies of the larval characters in attempting a natural classifica-tion of the Coleoptera, and to present a new arrangement of the Elateridag based upon such studies. The paper is preliminary and based largely upon the external characters of the larvae. Seventy-nine names have been recognized at one time or another for genera occurring in our fauna, but, after considering synon-omy and misidentification, this number can be reduced to between forty and fifty. Practically all of the common holo-artic genera are represented. Specimens of the larvae of thirty-eight genera have been studied. The fourteen or more genera whose larvae are still unknown are as follows: The genus Mel-anades, containing seven species, two of which are quite com-mon; the genus Esthesopiis, containing six species; Paranomus, four; Leptoschema, three; Oxygonus, Eniconyx and Meristhiis, two each; and Nothodes, Bladus, Elatrinus, Blauta, Oedostethus, Aptopiis and Coptostethus, one each. In the absence of reared material, the characters of the genera Ischnodes, Ectinus, Adrastiis, Ilypnoidus and Leptiir aides were drawn from liter-ature. With these exceptions, the larvae of species representing all the genera herein treated were examined by the writer and the generic characters drawn from the last larval exuvium of individuals of which the imago was reared and carefully determined. In many of the genera several species were examined. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. E. A. Schwarz, of the U. S. National Museum, without whose kindly assistance the work would have been impossible; to the late Professor F. M. Webster, who permitted the use of the material in the Division collection; to Mr. H. S. Barber, who facilitated the use of the Museum material; to Mr. C. W. Johnson, of the Boston Society of Natural History, who very kindly allowed me to use the material in the Thaddeus Harris collection; and to Dr. A. D. Hopkins and Mr. F. C. Craighead, of the Division of 241
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