GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF EUROPEAN HISPINE BEETLES: 7. The Geographic Distribution of European Hispine Beetles (Chry‐somelidse, Coleoptera)

SUMMARY1. This is a contribution to the knowledge of the distribution of European animals, namely, three beetles of the subfamily Hispinse (Chrysomelidae).2. The interest of the distribution discussed here is that the animals occur in South India and Ceylon, as well as in Europe.3. All available localities where they have been captured have been collected and plotted on a map.4. The beetles are figured, and three small maps showing the distribution of the genera separately and a large map of Europe in which the localities are indicated, are given.5. The problem of this distribution is considered on the background of the distribution of a larger group. The tentative suggestion is that they are descended from a common ancestor living in Gondwanaland when India and Africa were one land‐mass. When they separated Hispella developed in South India and Dorcathispa and Polyconia developed and differentiated in Africa. Hispella spread towards the north, and during Tertiary times, when the earth folding took place and mountain chains were formed, one part of Hispella became isolated on the northern side of the Himalayas, and evolved into the species Hispella atra. The other part remained in India, where it became differentiated into the present‐day Indian species, and spreading eastwards along the mountains, reached the sea in South China.After the separation into India and Africa the greatest development of Hispa has been in Africa, and H. testacea is a Mediterranean species spreading from Africa to Europe. The spread of L. filiformis has taken a similar course, from Africa to Europe.6. As regards the geological history of the food‐plants, two important points are relevant. I have shown that the grasses and the palms form the chief food‐plants of the species of Hispinae. There are hardly any geological records of the Gramineae. The Nipa palm occurs in North African and European Eocene records. It seems likely, therefore, that the original food‐plants of all these beetles were Palmae.