The geographical distribution of animals, with a study of the relations ...

;230 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. [part hi.the southern latitude and warm climate in which theseinsectswere mostly collected, and the proximity to Formosa and theMalay Islands compared with the enormous distance fromEurope, this shows as much Palaearctic affinity as can beexpected. In the Palaearctic region the group is only plentifulin the southern parts of Europe, which is cutoff by the coldplateau of Thibet from all direct communication with Japan;while in the Oriental region it everywhere abounds and is, infact, one of the most conspicuous and dominant families ofColeoptera.The Longicorns collected by Mr. Lewis have been describedby Mr. Bates in the Annals of Natural History for 1873.number of species now known from Japan isThe107, belonging tosixty-four genera. The most important genera are Lcptura,'Clytanthus, Monohammus, Praonctha, Exoccntrus, Glenea, andOberea. There are twenty-one tropical genera, and sevenpeculiar to Japan, leaving thirty-six either Palaearctic or of verywide range. A number of the genera are Oriental and Malayan,and many characteristic European genera seem to be absentbut it is certaiu that not half the Japanese Longicorns are yetknown, and many of these gaps will doubtless be filled up whenthe more northern islands are explored.The Phytophaga, described by Mr. Baly, appear to have aconsiderable preponderance of tropical Oriental forms.A considerable collection of Hymenoptera formed by Mr.Lewis have been described by Mr. Frederick Smith ;and exhibitthe interesting result, that while the bees and wasps are decidedlyof tropical and Oriental forms, the Tenthredinidae and Ichneumonidaeare as decidedly Pala?arctic, " the generalaspect of thecollection being that of a European one, only a single exoticform being found among them."Remarks on the General Character of the Fauna of Japan —From a general view of the phenomena of distribution we feeljustified in placing Japan in the Palaearctic region ; althoughsome tropical groups, especially of reptiles and insects, havelargely occupied its southern portions ;and these same groupshave in many cases spread into Northern China, beyond the