THE SHINING FLOWER HKKTLKS. 497 



of elytra, scarcely punctate. Elytra distinctly but sparsely punctate, the 

 punctures finest toward the base ; sutural stria deep, a little curved. Length 

 1.8 mm. 



Southern half of State ; frequent. May 1-September 20. 

 Scaphiomicrus flavescens Casey, pale brownish-yellow, length 

 .9 mm., was described from Michigan. 



Family XIV. PHALACRIDJE. 

 THE SHINING FLOWER BEETLES. 



To this family belong a small number of oval or rounded-oval, 

 convex, shining beetles, having the body very compact ; antenna? in- 

 serted under or at the sides of a slight frontal margin, 11-jointed, 

 the last three joints forming an oval club ; thorax with 

 the side pieces not distinct; prcsternum prolonged, en- 

 tering the emarginate mesosternuni behind, the coxa! 

 cavities open ; metasternum large, produced in front ; 

 scutellum large, triangular; elytra rounded at tip and 

 entirely covering the abdomen, which has five free 

 ventral segments. (Fig. 178.) The front coxa- are 

 rather small and globular: middle coxa? transverse, 

 separated by the sternum; hind coxa* contiguous, 

 transverse and flat; tarsi 5-jointed, the fourth joint g^p') 68 ' 

 usually small and obscure. 



From the Scaphidiida? the members of this family may be known 

 by their broadly rounded instead of truncate elytra and by the 

 smaller and less prominent front coxa?. They are less than 3 mm. 

 in length and live principally on flowers, the larva? living in the 

 heads of flowers, especially those of Composite. The adults may 

 be taken in summer by beating or in autumn and spring by sifting. 

 Some species, however, occur only beneath bark. The name of the 

 family is based upon that of the oldest genus, Phalacrus, a word 

 meaning bald-headed and suggested probably by the rounded shin- 

 ing aspect of these beetles. 



The principal literature relating to the family is as follows: 



LeConte. -"Synopsis of the Phalacrida 1 of the United States," 

 in Proc. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sci., VITI, 1856, 15-17. 



Casey. "Synopsis of Phalacrida?, " in Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., 

 V, 1890, 89-144. 



About 300 species of the family are known, 47 of which, dis- 

 tributed among ten genera, being listed from the United States. 



