246 



COLEOPTERA 



CHAP. 



afterwards become powder. The larvae of both of our British 

 genera, Sphindus and Aspidipliorus, have been described by 

 Ferris, who considers them allied to the fungivorous Silphidae 

 and Latridiidae. The systematic position of these Insects has 

 been the subject of doubt since the days of Latreille. 



Fam. 52. Bostrichidae (Apatidae of some authors). Tarsi 

 five-jointed, but the first joint very short and imperfectly separated 



from the second; front coxae prominent, con- 

 tiguous, very little extended transversely ; five 

 visible ventral segments. The Bostrichidae 

 attack dry wood, and sometimes in such 

 large numbers that timber is entirely 

 destroyed by them ; most of them make 

 cylindrical burrows into the wood. The 

 larvae have the posterior part of the 

 body incurved, and resemble the wood- 

 boring larvae of Anobiidae rather than 

 the predaceous larvae of Cleridae. We 

 follow Leconte and Horn in placing 

 Lyctides as a division of Bostrichidae ; 

 although differing very much in appear- 



FIG. 125.-Apate capudna. ance > the 7 have similar habits and larvae. 

 Europe. A, Larva (after The typical Bostiichides are remarkable 



Ferris) ; B, pt-rt'ect III- n , i , n 



sect . tor their variety of sculpture and for the 



shapes of the posterior part of the body : 



this part is more or less conspicuously truncate, and furnished 

 with small prominences. Dinapate u-riyhtii, found in the stems 

 of a species of Yucca in the Mojave desert of California, attains 

 a length of nearly two inches ; its larva is extremely similar to 

 that of A. capudna, Some of the forms (Plionapate} stridulate 

 in a manner peculiar to themselves, by rubbing the front leg 

 against some projections at the hind angle of the prothorax. Up- 

 wards of 200 species of the family are known. In Britain we 

 have only four small and aberrant forms. 



Fam. 53. Ptinidae. Tarsi five-jointed, first joint not reduced 

 in size, often longer than second ; front and middle coxae small, 

 not transversely extended, the former sliglitly prominent; five 

 visible ventral segments; prostenuuii very short. Here are in- 

 cluded two sub - families, Ptinides and Anobiides ; they are 

 considered as distinct families by many authors, but in the 



