156 SPH ERIIDZ. 
MILLIDIUM. 
Millidium, Motschulsky, Etudes ent. 1855, p.18; Bull. Mosc. xh. part 2, p. 1891; Matthews, Trich. 
Illustr. p. 90, t. 7@ (1872). 
1. Millidium sculpturatum. 
Milhdium sculpturatum, Motsch. Etud. ent. 1855, p. 18; Bull. Mosc. xli. part 2, p. 189°. 
Hab. Centrat America }. 
Unknown to me. 
2. Millidium triramosum. 
Millidium triramosum, Motsch. loc. cit. p. 18; loc. cit. p. 189*; Matth. Trich. Illustr. p. 93, t. 29. 
fig. 5. 
Elongate oval, very smooth and shining, rufo-piceous; thorax strongly constricted near the base, with three 
deep, parallel sulci on the disc, and a short sulcus near each posterior angle; elytra shining, almost 
impunctate; legs and antenne pale yellow. Length 0:50 millim, 
Hab. Centra AMERICA }. 
Fam. SPHERIIDE *. 
The Spheeriide form a small and somewhat isolated family, exhibiting no obvious 
affinity to any other group except the Spheridiide (which are included with the 
Hydrophilide by Dr. Sharp in the preceding volume of this series); and to this group 
almost solely by the subsolid capitulum of the antenne, and the usually hemispheric 
form of their body. Their systematic position has therefore been a fertile cause of 
perplexity. They were once supposed to be in some way connected with the Tricho- 
pterygide; but their free anterior cox, and the whole anatomy of their external 
skeleton, together with their diversely formed antenne, render such an alliance 
impossible. It seems on the whole much more natural to place the Spheriide imme- 
diately after the Spheridiide. ‘The subsolid, and in some species almost orbicular, 
capitulum of their antenne, their elongate and free or prominent anterior cox, and 
often the hemispheric form of their body, all appear to indicate a decided affinity to 
Cercyon. Their life-habits, so far as they are known, appear also to be somewhat 
similar, as they are usually found in damp boggy places at the roots of herbage, or 
in moss. 
Although the species of Sphewrius are not very numerous in collections, I believe 
that in nature they are by no means rare; I have received them from many parts of 
North America, and from Central America, Spain, and North Africa, as well as from 
three localities in Great Britain. Thus they seem to be generally distributed throughout 
the countries north of the Equator; but hitherto have not, so far as I know, been found 
in the southern hemisphere. 
* By A. Marruzws, 
