236 COLEOPTERA CHAP. 



There is lint one genns, and for a long time only two or three 

 species were known, and were great rarities in collections : in 

 the last few years the number has been raised to nearly forty. 1 

 They are remarkable beetles with oblong form, and a somewhat 

 metallic upper surface, which is much sculptured, and possesses 

 four yellow, smooth spots on the elytra. According to Mr. George 

 Lewis they are found feeding at the running sap of trees, but the 

 larvae are not known. Helotidae are peculiar to the Indo-Malayan 

 rr- inn (including Japan) with one species in Eastern Africa, 



Fam. 35. Thorictidae. Tarsi five-jointed, none ofthejoinf* 

 hr od ; front coxae small, rather prominent, but not at oil fr /in- 

 verse ; fire visible re/itn/J jila/rx, a/I mobile; mctasternn i very 

 situ rt ; antennae xln>ff,irith a solid dub. This little family, con- 

 sisting of the genus Thorirfnx, appears to be a distinct one, 

 though the structure has only been very imperfectly studied. It 

 is peculiar to the Mediterranean region, where the species live in 

 ants' nests. They appear to be on terms of great intimacy with 

 the ants ; a favourite position of the beetle is on the scape of the 

 antenna of an ant ; here it hooks itself on firmly, and is carried 

 about by the ant. Like so many other ants'-nest beetles, 

 Thorictidae possess tufts of golden hair, which secrete some 

 substance, the flavour of which is appreciated by the ants; these 

 tufts in Thorictidae are situated either at the hind angles of the 

 pronotmn, or on the under surface of the body on each side of the 

 breast ; AVasmaim thinks that when the beetles are riding about, 



as above described, the ants have tln-n 

 an opportunity of getting at the patches 

 on the under surface. 



Fam. 36. Erotylidae.--ram five- 

 jointed, but 'iritJi the fourth -usual/ // very 

 small, the first three mure or less brood 

 a/id i>id>e*ee/// beneath. Antennae xfro//>//f/ 

 clubbed. Front and middle coxal aeetu- 

 "\T/ ) bula round, without angulcw^prolongation 



FIG. in.-Tritoma Mpustulata. externally; fire risible ventral segments. 



Erotyiiiiae. Britain. A, Larva This is now a large and important family 

 (after Ferris) ; B, perfect Insect. . ... i u 



of about 1800 species, but it is chiefly 

 exotic and tropical, its members haunting the fungoid growths 



1 Ritsema, Catalogue of Helota, Xotcs Lcijdcn J/HS. xiii. 1891, p. 223, and xv. 

 1S93, p. UK). 



