Preconfederation Ornithology

The Canadian Naturalist. Reviews and Notices of Books

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A series of conversations on the Natural History of Lower Canada By P. H. Gosse, London, 1840.

The intelligent author was fully aware when he published the above work, that confusion arose from want of a thorough knowledge of entomological nomenclature. The book has a good circulation in the Provinces, and is accessible to young students of entomology. To my knowledge the tyro has frequently made confidential reference to it for the purpose of naming his insects. I have therefore reviewed the whole of the entomological index, commencing with the

COLEOPTERA.

• Brachynotus Bennettii, (page 78), should be Podabrus tricostatus, Say.
• Rhizotroga fervens, (p. 106), should be Phyllophaga quercina, Knoch.
• Phyllodecta vittelina, (p. 185), should be Gastrophysa vitellinae, Linn,
• Meloe proscarahoeus, (p. 185), should be Meloe angusticollis, Say.
• Chrysomela 10-notata, (p. 185), should be Calligrapha Philadelphica, Linn.
• Odontomis trinervia, (p. 224), should be Chrysobothris dentipes, Germ.
• Nephropis Canadensis, (p. 224), should be Leptura Canadensis, Oliver.

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• Lyctus reticulatus, (p. 230), should be Diagrapha reticulata Fabr., and Lyctus terminalis, (p. 231), should also be placed under the genus Diagrapha.
• Stenuris divaricata (p. 232), should be Stenurus (Dicerca) divaricata, Say.
• Anoplis rusticorum (p. 232), should be Buprestis rusticorum, Kirby.
• Platycerus placidus (p. 272), should be Parandra brunnea Fabr. Placidus, Say, belongs to the genus Lucanus.
• Gymnodus rugosus (p. 272), should be Osmoderma scabra, Beauv., and on the page following Gymnodus Drakii, which is Osmoderma eremicola Knoch.
• Pathophagus latibrosus (p. 320), should be Onthophagus Hecate, Pz.
• Boletophagus cristatus, (p. 251), should be Boletophagus cornutus, Pz.
• Eumolpus Bigsbyana (p. 122), should be Calligrapha Bigsby-ana, Kirby.
• Cucvjus rufus, (p. 122), should be Catogenus rufus, Fabr.
• Ips. quadripunctata, (p. 122), should be Ips. 4-signatus, Say,
• Thanatophilus marginalis, (p. 136), should be Oiceoptoma marginata, Fabr.
• Lampyris corrusca, (p. 296), should be Ellychnia corrusca, Linn.
• Elater metallicus, (p. 185), I know of no Elater ("changeable crimson and green ") of this name, Limonius metallescens, Mels. is a var. of L, plebejus, Say, which if occurring in the North, may be the insect mentioned by Gosse.
• Carabus catena, (p. 185). There is no Carabus of this name in the Coleopterous fauna of the North. The one alluded to is evidently Carabus Canadensis, Leconte.
• Staphylinus chrysocephalus, (p. 319). There is no Staphylinus of this name in the catalogue. It is either a nondescript or var. of S. cingulatus, Grv. I have seen but one specimen which was taken at Toronto, by F. H. Ibbetson, Esq., who identified it as distinct from cingulatus.

LEPIDOPTERA.

• Thymele briso (p. 184), belong to the genus Nisoniades, uibn.
• Melitcea myrina (p. 192), belongs to the genus Argynnis, Fabr.

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• Hesperia Peckius (p. 193), should be Pamphila Peckii.
• Platypteryx erosa (p. 194). No geometra of this name occurs in North America. The moth noticed by Gosse is probably Poaphila erosa Guen.
• Angerona sopeta (p. 194), is a wrong citation. The genus Angerona of North America has but one described species. Chlorissa putatoria does not occur in Canada. Mr. Gosse has evidently applied European names to the greater part of the moths mentioned in his work. Geo. clematoria cannot be found in the Northern Insect fauna. The species of Phragmatobia (p. 195), which Mr. Gosse took to be the European fuliginosa, I take to be P, assimilans, and the only described North American species.
• Smerinthus occelatus, (p. 222), should be S. geminatus, Say.
• Pamphila cernes (p. 228), should be P. origenes, Fabr.
• Hipparchia andromacha (p. 246), should be Debis Portlandia Fabr.

William Couper, Quebec.