THE CEDEMERID BEETLES. 1305 



narrower than elytra, the former bnt slightly narrowed into a neck. 

 The middle coxa? are very prominent; thorax without sharp edges 

 at the sides, its lateral suture beneath wanting; elytra somewhat 

 soft in texture and either smooth or with fine punctures and silky 

 hair. They are found mostly on flowers or foliage, sometimes in 

 crevices or on the ground near water. The larva? live for the most 

 part in decaying wood and are not of much economic importance. 

 The name of the family "is derived from that of the typical genus 

 (Edcmcm, which is the Greek of two words meaning "swollen" and 

 "thigh." 



In addition to the characters mentioned, the members of the 

 family have the palpi 4-jointed, the last joint dilated ; head slightly 

 inclined, the front somewhat prolonged; antenna? 11- rarely 12- 

 jointed, nearly filiform ; elytra covering the abdomen, which has five 

 free ventral segments with a sixth sometimes visible in the males; 

 front coxa? large, conical, contiguous, the cavities widely open be- 

 hind; tarsi with the next to last joint dilated and furnished with a 

 dense brush of hairs beneath ; tarsal claws usually simple, rarely 

 toothed at base. 



The principal papers treating of the North American species are 

 as follows: 



LeConle. "Synopsis of the CEdemcrid.-i' of the United States," 

 in Proc. Phil. Acad. Nat Sci., VII, 1854, 20-22. 



LeConte. "Synoptic Tables of Copidita. and Oxacis," in New 

 Sp. N. Am. Col., I, 1866, 164-166. 



Horn. "The CEdemerida- of Boreal America," in Proc. Califor- 

 nia Acad. Sci., VI, 1896, 382-421. 



Wickham. "The CEdemerida? and Oephaloidiis of Ontario and 

 Quebec," in Can. Eat., XXX, 1893, 149-152. 



Horn, in his paper above cited, recognized 50 species from North 

 America. These he distributes among 13 genera. Of these but five 

 species, belonging to four genera, have been taken in the State, and 

 a representative of another may occur. 



KEY TO INDIANA GENERA OF CEDEMERID.E. 



(i. Next to last joint of tiivsi narrowly dilated; length less than H nun.; 



color brown. I. MICROTONUS. 



ad. Next to last joint of tarsi broadly dilated: length usually more than 



7 mm. 



b. Front tibia? with one spur ; color above yellowish, elytra tipped, with 

 black ; antennae of male 12-jointecl. II. NACERDES. 



bb. Front tibia? with two spurs; antenna? in both sexes 11-jointed. 

 c. Both mandibles bifid at tip. 



