COLEOPTETU. 445 



domicil in the country, in old wood, and under stones; their habits 

 are the same. 



Such are the characters of the genus 



PTINUS, Lin. 



In some, the head and thorax, or the anterior half of the body, is 

 narrower than the abdomen ; the antennae are always terminated in 

 the same manner, simple or but slightly serrated, and at least almost 

 as long as the body. 



PTINUS, Lin., Fa&, BRUCHUS, Geoff. 



The antennae of the true Ptini are inserted between the eyes, which 

 are protuberant or convex. Their body is oblong. 



They are generally found in houses, and chiefly in granaries and 

 inhabited places. Their larvae destroy our herbaria and desiccated 

 specimens of animals. The antennae of the males arc longer than 

 those of the females, and, in several species, these latter are apterous. 



P. fur, L., Fab. ; P. lalro, strialus, F. ; Oliv. Col. II, 17, i. 1 , 

 3; ii,9, var. of the male. One line and a half in length; light 

 brown; antennae as long as the body ; a pointed projection on 

 each side of the thorax, and between them two others, rounded 

 and covered with a yellowish down : two transverse, greyish 

 bands on the elytra, formed by hairs. 



According to De Geer, it feeds on Flies and other dead In- 

 sects that fall in its way. The larvce are very injurious to her- 

 baria and other collections of natural history. 



P. imperialism Fab. ; Oliv., Ib., 1, 4. Remarkable for two 

 spots on the elytra, which, together, form a rude figure of a 

 two-headed Eagle. On old wood *. 



I have frequently found on fecal matters, the P. germain, 

 Lat. Gener. Crust, et Insect., I, p. 279, which is closely allied to 

 the P. fur f- 



GIBBIUM, Scop. PTINUS, Fab. Oliv. 



The antennae inserted before the eyes, which are flattened and very 

 small ; scutellum wanting or indistinct ; the body short ; abdomen 

 very large, turgid, almost globular and semidiaphanous ; the antennae 

 smaller at the extremity, and the elytra soldered. These Insects 

 also reside in our herbaria, &c. J. 



In the others, the body is oval, ovoid, or nearly cylindrical; the 



* It appears to me that this species belongs to the genus HEDOBIA of the 

 Catalogue of Dejcan. It differs from Ptinus in the nntennte, which are more 

 remote from each other, and slightly serrated, and particularly iu the tarsi which are 

 short and composed of wide and almost cordifurm joints, the last one particularly ; 

 the hooks of the latter arc almost always concealed. In Ptinus these tarsi are 

 straight ; and their last joint resembles a reversed cone. The antennae are approxi- 

 mated at base. 



f For the synonymes of the pecies of this genus, see Schoeah., Synon. Insect. 

 II, 106. 



J Ptiniu tcotitu, Fab.; Oliv., Col. Ib. I, 2; Panz., Fauu. Insect. Germ. 

 P. sulcalus, Fab. 



