COLEOPTERA. 



ill 



ZeUschrift fur die Enlomologic, have minutely investigated their structure, avid have proposed a great number of 

 groups in addition to those £iven in the text, often, it is true, resting upon very minute and obscure characters.] 



Our second section, Malacodermi, is divisible into five tribes. 



The first, Cebriomtes, so named from the genus Cebrio, Oliv., to which some others are added, has 

 the mandibles terminated in a single point ; the palpi of equal thickness throughout, or slender at the 

 tip ; the body rounded and swollen in some ; oval or oblong, but arched above and bent down in front, 

 in others. It is often soft and flexible, with the thorax transverse, broadest at the base, with the 

 lateral angles elongated and acute in some ; the antennae are ordinarily longer than the head and 

 thorax. The feet are not contractile. Their habits are unknown; many are, however, found upon 

 plants in moist places. They may be united into a single genus, 



Cebuio, Oliv., Fabr. 



In a first subsection, establishing a connexion between this and the preceding tribe, the species have the body 

 of a consistence iis solid as in the Sternoxi, and of an oblong-ovate form ; the mandibles advanced beyond the 

 labrum, narrow, very much bent ; the antennae flabellate or pectinated in the males of most of the species, or 

 rather thickened at the tips. This subsection consists (with one exception) of species not inhabiting our country, 

 and comprises several genera, including Physodaeiyltu and Cebrio, in which the presternum is produced into a 

 point, and received into a notch of the rnesosternum ; and Anelastet, Kiiby ; Callirhipu, l.atr. ; Sandaiut, Knocb. ; 

 Rhipicera, Latr., and Ptilodactyla, llliger; most of which are formed of South American insects, the males of 

 many of which are remarkably distinguished by their branched or pectinated antennae. These also differ from the 

 preceding in the presternum not being remarkably prolonged into a point, and in the rnesosternum wanting the 

 frontal impression. In several of the last-named genera the joints of the tarsi are lobed beneath, and in the genus 



Daieillut, Latr. ; Aiopa, Fabr., which has the 11-jointed antennae simple in both sexes, the three basal join of 

 the tarsi are without these membranous lobes, but the fourth joint is deeply bilobed, and the terminal joint 

 without an appendage between the claws Type, Atopa cervina, Fab. A common British insert. 



In the second division of the Cebrionites the mandibles are small, but little or not at all extended beyond the 

 labrum ; the body generally soft, nearly hemispheric or ovoid, and the palpi pointed at the tip. The antenna- are 

 simple, or but slightly toothed; in many the hind-feet are used for leaping. They frequent aquatic places. 

 [These are minute insects.] 



Elodes, Latr. ; Cyphon, Fab., Dej., has the posterior thighs scarcely differing in size from the others. [Severul 

 minute British species.] 



Seyrtet, Latr , has the hind thighs very large, and used for leaping. These two have the penultimate joint of 

 the tarsi bilobed; in the two following it is entire. 



Nycteut, Latr., has the third joint of the antennas very minute, and the spurs of the hind tibia; distinct. 



Eubria, Zeigl., has the second joint of the antennae minute, and the spurs of the hind tibiae almost obsolete. 

 Cyphon palustris, Germar. [A minute species, recently captured in Scotland.] 



The second tribe of the Malacodermi, that of the Lampyrides, is distinguished from the preceding 

 by the thickened tips of the palpi, or at least of the maxillary palpi ; the body always soft, straight, 

 depressed, or scarcely convex ; and the thorax, either semicircular or nearly square, advanced over the 

 head, which it wholly or partly covers. The mandibles are generally small, terminated in a Blender 

 curved point, entire at the tip; the penultimate joint of the tarsi i» always bilobed, and the ungues of 

 the tarsi arc neither toothed nor furnished with any appendage. The females of some species are desti- 

 tute of wings, or have only short elytra. When seized, these insects fold their antenna* and feet close 

 to the body, without making any movement, as if dead; many also bend down the abdomen. They 



form the genus 



[iAMPVBIS, Linn. 



A first division has the antennae arising close together; the head either free and produced into a muzzle, or 

 entirely concealed beneath the thorax, with the eyes of the males very large and globular, and the month small. 



Lyeut, Fab., having the muzzle very long ; 



THctyoptera, Latr., with the muzzle very short ; and 



Onalitut, Geoffr., without any distinct muzzle ; are distinguished fbr the want of the power of emitting light. 

 [There is one British species, /.. m&nutus, Fabr., b and of these groups ; II is small, of s black 



colour, with red elytra.] 



The other Lampyridtt of this first division differ from the former, not only in not having a muzzle, sad in 

 having the head, which is occupied almost entirely bj the eyes in the males, entirely or marly hidden beneath 



the semicirculai n thorax; batata a vers remarkable property which thi unmonto 



both sexes or peculiar to the females alone— thai of being phosphorescent; whence these insects have obta 

 the names of Glow-worms and Fire flies. The bod] of these insects is verj soft, especially the sbdomen: the 

 luminous matter occupies the under-side of the two or three terminal segments of this pai t of the bod] , winch nm 

 differently coloured, and generally yellow or white. The b^ht they emit is more or less bright, sad ofa greenish- 

 wAte, or white colour, like that of different kinds of phosphorus, it appears thai these Insects are able at will 



