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494 GEOGRAPHICAL ZOOLOGY. [part iv.
CETONIID^. (120 Genera, 970 Species.)
As representative of the enormous group of the Lamellicorns,
which, according to continental entomologists, forms a single
family numbering nearly 7,000 species, we take the Cetoniidse
or Eose-Chafers. These comprise a number of the most bril-
liant and beautifully-coloured insects, including the gigantic
Goliathi, which are among the largest of known beetles. They
have been assiduously collected in every part of the world, and
their classification has been elaborated by many of our most
eminent entomologists.
The Cetoniidse are especially abundant in tropical and warm
countries, yet far more so in the Old World than in the New
and in the Old World, the Ethiopian region exhibits a marvellous
richness in this family, no less than 76 genera being found there,
while 64, or more than half the total number, are peculiar to it.
Next in richness, though still very far beliind, comes the Oriental
region, with 29 genera, 17 of which are peculiar. The Neo-
tropical has only 14 genera, but all except two are peculiar to it,
and one of these is not found out of the New World. The
Australian region has 11 genera, three only being peculiar.
The Palajarctic region has 13, with 4 peculiar; the Nearctic 7,
with 2 peculiar. The affinities of the regions for each other, as
indicated by the genera confined to two adjacent regions, are in
this family somewhat peculiar. The Ethiopian and Oriental
show the most resemblance, 6 genera being common and peculiar
to the two ; the Oriental and the Australian are unusually well
contrasted, having only one genus exclusively in common, while
8 genera are found in the Indo-Malay Islands which do not
cross the boundary to the Austro-Malayan division, and several
others only pass to the nearest adjacent islands ;
on the other hand,
the only large Australian genus, Schizorhina, is found in many
parts of the Moluccas, but not further west. The Australian
and Neotropical regions exhibit no direct affinity, the nearest
ally to the South American Gymnetidai being Clinteria, an
African and Asiatic genus ; while not a single genus is common
;