554 



INSECTA. 



THE SEVENTH FAMILY OF THE COLEOPTERA TETRAMERA,— 



The Clavipalpi, — 



Is distinguished from all the others of the same section, which, like these, have the underside of the 

 three hasal joints of the tarsi furnished with cushions heneath, and the third joint bilobed, (the ter- 

 minal joint also having a node at its base, which is also observed in the Coccinellae,) by having their 

 antenna; terminated by a very distinct and perfoliated mass, and by their maxillae being armed on the 

 inner edge with a horny tooth ; in a few, the tarsi are entire, but they recede from the other Tetramera 

 which have similar tarsi, by having the body nearly globular, and contractile into a ball. The body is 

 often of a rounded form, generally very gibbose and hemispherical, with the antennas shorter than the 

 body ; the mandibles notched or toothed at the extremity ; the palpi terminated by a much thicker joint ; 

 t lie last joint of the maxillary palpi being very broad, compressed, and nearly crescent-shaped. The 

 form of the organs of the mouth indicates that the species are not carnivorous : the indigenous species 

 are, in fact, found in fungi growing on the trunks of trees, beneath the bark, &c. 

 They may be reunited into the single genus 



Ekotylus, Fabr. — 

 Some of which have the the maxillary palpi terminated by a large hatchet- or crescent-shaped joint. 



Erotylus proper (including ^-Egetltus, Fabr.), has the intermediate joints of the antennae subcylindric, and the 

 c!ul) of the antennae formed of the terminal joints, oblong ; the inner and corneous lobe of the maxillae having 

 two teeth. The species are confined to South America. [They are very numerous, a considerable number having 

 been described by M. Uodart in his monograph on this ^enus.] 



Tripla.v (and Tritoma, Fabr.), differ in having the antennae submoniliform, and terminated by a shorter ovoid 

 club, and by the maxilla- having a single small tooth on the inner edge. In Tritoma, the body is nearly hemisphe- 

 rical — T. bipustulatum [a small Hritish species, of rare occurrence on fungi], — and in Triplax, the body is oval, or 

 oblong. [Several small Hritish species.] The others have the last joint of the maxillary palpi elongated, and more 

 or less oval. 



Languria, Latr., has the body linear, and the club of the antennae [3- to] 5-jointed. [Exotic insects, having 

 somewhat the appearance of F.lateridae.] 



Phalacrus, Payk. (Ani.sotoma, Illig.), has the body sub-hemispherical, and the club of the antennae only 3-jointed. 

 The species [are very numerous, and of small size. They are found upon flowers, and beneath the bark of trees]. 



Agathidium, lllig. (Anisotoma, Fabr.), differs from all the rest of the family by having all the joints of the tarsi 

 simple, and the body nearly globular. [.Minute British species.] 



The fourth section of the Coleoptera, that of the Trimera, has only three [ordinary-sized] 

 joints in the tarsi ; [a fourth, however, but very minute, exists at the base of the last or fourth 

 joint]. They compose three families ; those of the first two are closely allied to the last of the 

 Tetramera. Their antennas, always composed of eleven joints*, are terminated by a club 

 formed of the last three, compressed, ami of a conical or reversed triangular form. The basal 

 joint of the tarsi is always distinct; the second joint ordinarily bilobed, and the last, presenting 

 a knot at its base, is always terminated by two ungues ; the elytra entirely cover the abdomen, 

 and are not truncated. The last of the Trimera, or the third family, approach in this respect, 

 and in many other characters, the pentamerous Braehelytra, and some others of the same 

 section, such as Mastigus, Scydmanus, and have habits very different from those of the other 

 Trimera. 



THE FIRST FAMILY OF THE COLEOPTERA TRIMERA,— 



The Fungicol.e, — 



Have the antenna?, longer than the head and thorax ; the body oval, with the thorax trapezoid ; the 

 maxillary palpi filiform, or rather thickened at the tips, but not terminated by a very large hatchet- 

 shaped joint ; the penultimate joint of the tarsi is always deeply bilobed. This family may be reduced 

 to the single genus 



Eumorphus, — 

 Some of which have the third joint of the antenna? much longer than the preceding and following. Such are 

 Eumorphus, Weber, which has the club of the antennae suddenly formed, solid, and very compressed ; the max- 



* I, however, only count nine in Clyoeaster, but from the smallness of those insects, I may have fallen into some error. 



