THE SAP-FEEDING BEETLES. 651 



Lake and Vigo counties ; rare. March 11-May 20. Occurs in 

 sandy localities, beneath logs or bark. Probably hibernates. 



R. cylindricus Lee., rufo-piceous in hue, is known from Ten- 

 nessee and Georgia, and may occur in southern Indiana. 



1255 (3770). RHIZOPHAGUS BIPUNCTATUS Say, Journ. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sci., 



Ill, 1823, 324 ; ibid. II, 183. 



Elongate, cylindrical. Black, shining; antennae and legs reddish-brown; 

 elytra with usually two reddish spots, one oblique behind the base, the other 

 smaller, oval, at apical third. Thorax longer than wide, its disk convex, 

 sparsely punctured. Elytra not wider than thorax, sides parallel, surface 

 not striate but with rows of punctures which become finer toward apex. 

 Length 2.5-3 mm. 



Lake, Marion, Putnam, Floyd and Harrison counties ; frequent. 

 April 9-November 14. Occurs most frequently beneath bark of 

 maple. The basal spots on elytra are often obsolete. 



R. remains Lee., and R. minutus Mann, are both boreal species 

 known from Canada and Michigan, and may occur in northern In- 

 diana. 



Family XXVII. LATHRIDIID^E. 

 THE MINUTE BROWN SCAVENGER BEETLES. 



Very small oval, oblong or linear beetles, usually of a reddish- 

 yellow or brownish hue, rarely black or with distinct markings and 

 never metallic. They are of a graceful form, the elytra being 

 usually wider than thorax, and a number of them have the thorax 

 prettily marked with elevated lines. They occur for the most part 

 under bark and stones or in vegetable debris, especially decaying 

 leaves, but some species are also found in drugs and other commer- 

 cial products, and some on the flowers or foliage of certain plants. 

 The larvae have not been studied, and their food habits are, there- 

 fore, practically unknown. The name of the typical genus, Lath- 

 ridiiis, is derived from a Greek word meaning "secret or hidden," 

 and was probably given these beetles on account of their living, 

 for the most part, in concealed places. About 700 species are 

 known, scarcely any of which are more than one-tenth of an inch 

 (2.5 mm.) in length. 



The most prominent and distinguishing characters of the family 

 are: the 9- to 11- jointed antennae, terminating in a club of three, 

 rarely two, joints, and inserted at the sides of the front; eyes 

 usually large and prominent, but small and minute in certain 

 genera; thorax of variable form, but rarely as wide as elytra, the 

 margin often finely toothed, especially near the hind angles, the 

 disk usually with either a transverse impression or a fovea at base; 



