THE INSECTS OF NEW JERSEY. 311 



Family SPHINDID^E. 



Very similar to the "Cioidse" in appearance and live in fungi. Our 

 only species is 



SPHINDUS Chev. 



S. americanus Lee. Ft. Lee, Snake Hill (Sf ) ; Newark (Bf ) ; Anglesea 

 (W) ; probably throughout the State; local and not common. 



Family LUCANID^. 



These are the "stag beetles," so called because in some species the 

 male has the mandibles very large, branched, resembling stag antlers. 

 Our common species, however, are better known as "pinching bugs," the 

 mandibles being of moderate size and not branched. The antennse have 

 a leaf-like club at tip, the blades of which cannot be closely opposed or 

 folded. The larvas are white-grubs and live in decaying wood. 



LUCANUS Linn. 

 L. elaphus Fabr. Anglesea, one male (W). 



L. dama Thunb. Throughout the State VI, VII, sometimes locally com- 

 mon at electric light; but usually in small numbers only. 



DORCUS MacL. 



D. parallelus Say. Throughout the State VI, VII, in white-rotten wood; 

 locally common. 



D. brevis Say. DaCosta (Say); Weymouth (Dke). The rank of this 

 species is in doubt, and the general belief is that it is only an aber- 

 ration of the above; but that is disputed, and the species is left here 

 as good. 



PLATYCERUS Geoff. 



P. quercus Web. Recorded from all sections of the State; cut out of 

 rotten wood in March, and found occasionally in branches until July. 



CERUCHUS MacL. 



C. piceus Web. Throughout the State; common in rotten beech all the 

 year around (Bf). 



NICAGUS Lee. 



N. obscurus Lee. Gloucester, not common (W, Li). 



PASSALUS Fabr. 



P. cornutus Fabr. Common throughout the State in rotten wood; hun- 

 dreds of them are sometimes found in an old stump, and on an 

 abandoned branch of R. R., on 5-mile beach, they ate up all the old 

 ties. The Iarva3 are peculiar in having four legs only. 



